Today at 6:35 p.m. EST, SpaceX hopes, at last, to make its fifth attempt to launch and then land, its Falcon 9 rocket on an at-sea platform. The launch attempt has been delayed for a multitude of reasons over the last nine days, including bad weather, heavy winds, and even a boat roaming into a safety zone.
Update (Friday, 6:36 p.m. ET): SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched right on time. It will take about ten minutes to determine if the rocket’s first stage is able to land successfully.
UPDATE – Falcon9 booster did not survive landing
Friday, 6:38 p.m. ET): SpaceX said that the Falcon 9 had a successful first-stage separation, and second-stage engine ignition.
Target altitude of 40,600 km achieved. Thanks @SES_Satellites for riding on Falcon 9! Looking forward to future missions.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2016
Spacecraft separation confirmed— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 5, 2016
Second stage re-light complete. Awaiting satellite deploy— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 5, 2016
One hour from 6:35pm ET launch window for SES-9. Continuing to watch upper-level winds https://t.co/tdni53IviI pic.twitter.com/yWnV3XWFpU— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 4, 2016
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