The launch of the SpaceX weather satellite Deep Space Climate Observatory has been delayed because of a glitch with a U.S. Air Force ground radar tracking system.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to blast off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sunday evening, but three minutes from launch the radar issue popped up,
reported Space.com. Another attempt was scheduled for Monday.
Elon Musk, chief executive office of SpaceX announced the delay on Twitter.
Space.com said liftoff Monday was scheduled for 6:07 p.m. on Monday.
Observers say the Deep Space Climate Observatory is a different kind of weather satellite, created to watch the weather in space a million miles away from Earth,
according to the Weather Channel.
"You'll hear a lot more about space weather," Stephen Volz, assistant administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Satellite and Information Service, told a press briefing Saturday, noting that the spacecraft will reach its observing point in 110 days, once it's launched.
"Why are we interested in and concerned about it? Solar storms have the potential to provide significant impact to the Earth and to society," said Volz. "As we rely more on technology, we become more susceptible to the impacts on those technology elements."
The Weather Channel noted that the idea for such a satellite first came up in the 1990s – and NASA and NOAA believed they had one ready for flight, called Triana, in 2001, but it was put on hold until 2007.
Space.com's Tariq Malik said the SpaceX trip should have a little meaning for some science fiction fans.
"SpaceX has loaded the Falcon 9 booster on this flight with more hydraulic fluid for the trip," Malik wrote. "Musk has also named the drone ship 'Just Follow the Instructions' after the sentient colony ship dreamed up by science fiction author Iain M. Banks. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets are named for the Millennium Falcon of 'Star Wars' lore."
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