SpaceX cancels Starlink launch due to Tropical Storm Arthur

By Georgina Torbet Published April 28, 2022

SpaceX has announced that it is canceling its planned eighth Starlink launch due to Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the year which has formed in the Atlantic.

SpaceX already had to delay its planned launch from Sunday, May 17, until Monday, May 18, due to a scheduling conflict, then chose to delay again until Tuesday 19 due to weather conditions. But with Arthur moving in from the ocean, the company has decided to scrap the launch for now.

Recommended Videos

Weather conditions including heavy rain and high winds are expected along the North Carolina coast this week.

Standing down from the Starlink mission, due to tropical storm Arthur, until after launch of Crew Demo-2

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 18, 2020

Instead, SpaceX will focus on its upcoming Demo-2 mission on May 27, which is the first manned test flight of its new crew capsule which will ferry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station and back.

As the planned first launch of American astronauts from American soil since the ending of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, this mission has attracted considerable attention both from the space industry and from the public.

SpaceX will continue launching its Starlink satellites after the Demo-2 mission.

Topics

Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…

Space

SpaceX shares photos of Starship ahead of sixth flight on Tuesday

SpaceX's Starship ahead of its sixth test flight.

SpaceX is just a couple of days away from sending its enormous Starship rocket on its sixth test flight from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The mission had originally targeted Monday, November 18, for the launch of the vehicle -- comprising the main-stage Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage Starship spacecraft -- but on Friday, SpaceX pushed the launch to Tuesday, November 19. Here's how to watch a livestream of the mission.

Space

See SpaceX’s mighty Starship on the launchpad ahead of sixth test flight

spacex starship on pad sixth test flight gcnypiwa4aaqgll 75

As SpaceX gears up for the sixth test flight of its mighty Starship, the company has shared images of the rocket out on the launchpad at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The images capture the striking view of the almost 400-foot-tall rocket, with the 165-foot-tall upper stage mounted on top of the Super Heavy booster.

The test flight is scheduled for Monday, November 18, with the aim being to test new facilities such as burning one of the Raptor engines on the upper stage while in space to test future abilities to perform a deorbit burn. The company will also be hoping to once again catch the incoming booster for reuse using the giant "chopsticks" at its pad, as it previously did for the first time during the fifth test flight of the Starship in October.

Space

SpaceX Dragon to give the International Space Station an altitude boost today

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the space station.

Friday will see a new event for the International Space Station (ISS) as a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is used to boost its altitude for the first time. As drag works on the space station, its altitude gradually degrades over time, and so it needs to be given an occasional push to keep it at its correct altitude, around 250 miles from the Earth's surface.

The reboost is scheduled for today, November 8, as one of the Dragons that is currently docked to the space station will fire its thrusters for around 12.5 minutes. There are currently two Dragons docked -- one of which carried crew and one of which carried cargo to the station. The cargo vehicle will perform the boost maneuver. As this is the first time this has been attempted, NASA and SpaceX personnel will observe the event carefully.