Editors note for Jan. 29: SpaceX has delayed its launch of the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 satellite for Italy to no earlier than Sunday, Jan. 30, at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) due to bad weather.SpaceX is now expected to launch an Italian Earth-observation satellite no earlier than Sunday (Jan. 30), two days later than planned due to bad weather, and youll be able to see it live here when it lifts off.A two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite is scheduled to take off from Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) on Saturday. SpaceX initially aimed to introduce the mission Thursday, however delayed it for 24 hours less than hour before liftoff. A launch attempt on Friday was prevented by a thick cloud layer and weather condition continued to prevent the launch on Saturday, the business stated. ” Due to weather in Florida affecting pre-launch operations, now targeting Sunday, January 30 at 6:11 p.m. EST for launch of COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 from SLC-40,” SpaceX composed on Twitter after scrubbing the launch.You can view all the action live here at Space.com when the time comes, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly through the business. SpaceX webcasts typically start 15 to 20 minutes prior to liftoff.Sundays weather report calls for more than a 90% chance of good launch conditions, with thick clouds as the only issue, according to a forecast from the U.S. Space Forces Delta 45 group.Related: The development of SpaceXs rockets in picturesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 Earth-observation radar satellite for Italy stands atop Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of a planned launch on Jan. 28, 2022. (Image credit: SpaceX) The Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation program is funded by the Italian Space Agency, the Italian Ministry of Defense and the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Scientific Research. The system consists of two satellites, which are developed to observe Earth using artificial aperture radar (SAR). CSG is a boosted follow-on to the initial Cosmo-SkyMed system. ” COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation [s] purpose is to monitor the Earth for the sake of emergency prevention, strategy, scientific and industrial purposes, offering data on a worldwide scale to support a range of applications among which danger management, cartography, environment and forest security, natural resources expedition, land management, defense and security, maritime security, food and agriculture management,” European Space Agency authorities wrote in a description of the program.The first CSG satellite, CSG-1, released atop an Arianespace Soyuz rocket from Kourou, French Guiana in December 2019 and is currently operating in a sun-synchronous polar orbit, 385 miles (620 kilometers) above Earth. CSG-2 is headed for the exact same orbit.This will be the 3rd launch for this Falcon 9 rockets first stage. The booster formerly assisted launch the Arabsat-6A interactions satellite and Space Test Program 2 objective for the U.S. military. For this flight, the rocket is anticipated to come back for a vertical goal at SpaceXs Landing Site 1 at Cape Canaveral not long after launch.Sundays prepared launch is part of a really hectic 10-day stretch for SpaceX. Its robotic Dragon freight spacecraft returned from the International Space Station on Monday (Jan. 24), and the business is planning to launch a batch of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Monday (Jan. 31) after a two-day hold-up due to the weather condition issues, as well as the NROL-87 objective for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on Feb. 2 from SpaceXs California launch pad at the Vandenberg Space Force Base.Editors note: SpaceX had actually originally targeted Thursday (Jan. 27) for the launch of CSG-2 however has delayed the flight numerous times due to bad weather condition. This story was upgraded at 5:46 p.m. EST (2246 GMT) on Jan. 29 to reflect the current delay.Mike Wall is the author of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook..
Editors note for Jan. 29: SpaceX has actually postponed its launch of the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 satellite for Italy to no earlier than Sunday, Jan. 30, at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) due to bad weather.SpaceX is now anticipated to release an Italian Earth-observation satellite no earlier than Sunday (Jan. 30), 2 days later on than planned due to bad weather condition, and youll be able to see it live here when it raises off.A two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite is set up to lift off from Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EST (2311 GMT) on Saturday. SpaceX webcasts usually start 15 to 20 minutes prior to liftoff.Sundays weather projection calls for more than a 90% possibility of excellent launch conditions, with thick clouds as the only issue, according to a projection from the U.S. Space Forces Delta 45 group.Related: The development of SpaceXs rockets in picturesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bring the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 Earth-observation radar satellite for Italy stands atop Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida ahead of a prepared launch on Jan. 28, 2022. Its robotic Dragon freight spacecraft returned from the International Space Station on Monday (Jan. 24), and the company is preparing to release a batch of its Starlink web satellites from Florida on Monday (Jan. 31) after a two-day hold-up due to the weather condition issues, as well as the NROL-87 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on Feb. 2 from SpaceXs California launch pad at the Vandenberg Space Force Base.Editors note: SpaceX had actually originally targeted Thursday (Jan. 27) for the launch of CSG-2 but has delayed the flight several times due to bad weather.