Spaceflight Insider

Launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 with Bulgariasat-1 delayed to NET Friday, June 23

Bulgariasat-1. Falcon 9 (Core 1029) static fire test

Falcon 9 (Core 1029) static fire test, June 15, 2017. Photo Credit: SpaceX

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The launch of Bulgaria’s first satellite has been delayed to no-earlier-than Friday, June 23, due to the need by SpaceX to replace a fairing valve on the rocket. The mission was set to launch on June 19 from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. 

The payload for this mission, Bulgariasat-1, is the first satellite to be launched for the nation and had been scheduled to be sent to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) by its Falcon 9 “Full Thrust” rocket at 2:10 p.m. EDT (18:10 GMT) tomorrow.

With that date now off the table, Friday is the next proposed launch date, with a backup launch date of Saturday, June 24, also available.

This was not a day for space flight, apparently, with the planned and often-delayed launch of a Terrier Malemute rocket also being scrubbed from its liftoff from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

SpaceX has a two-hour launch window on June 23, one that opens at 2:10 p.m. EDT (18:10 GMT) with a backup opportunity on Saturday, June 24, at the same time.

 

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Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.

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