SpaceX postpones the launch of SES-9 a second time (upd: Launched from the 5th time, landing failed)

That night almost took place the next launch of the satellite SES-9 , which was originally planned for February 24 . The launch was canceled literally two minutes before the appointed time.


So, the first launch cancellation was due to the weather the day before yesterday
The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket with the SES-9 geostationary satellite from the launch site at Cape Canaveral was scheduled to take place on Friday, February 26, 02:46 (MSK).
This time the weather did not foretell any surprises. SpaceX has already started an online broadcast and countdown to the launch of the satellite. Suddenly, for 101 seconds before the launch, the countdown was interrupted due to problems with heavily cooled oxygen . Recall, SpaceX cools oxygen to approximately -207 ° C, increasing its density and thus increasing the capacity of the oxidizer .


This was supposed to be the second launch of the SES-9 geostationary communication satellite, which is planned to be placed above the equator point 108.2 degrees east longitude and broadcast the video signal to the territory of a number of Asian countries. This satellite weighs 5.3 tons, which is the limit for the output to the GPO for the Falcon 9 full thrust . After launch, SpaceX plans to land the first stage on the marine barge “Of Course I Still Love You”. The previous attempt was partially successful - they managed to land, but one foot of the step did not become fixed.

UPD. The launch time of SES-9 is scheduled for February 29, 02:46 (MSK).
UPD-2. A timely launch did not occur due to the appearance of a foreign vessel in the landing zone, and a half-hour pause led to the heating of cryogenic oxygen and the appearance of helium bubbles. The third launch cancellation occurred at the last second of the countdown.

The rocket is safe and sound, the next launch was expected on the night of March 1 to 2 (02:35 Moscow time).
UPD-3. Fourth launch cancellation due to high wind. Launch transfer for three days.
UPD-4 Ultimately, on March 5, 2:35 AM (GMT) SpaceX successfully launched SES-9 (from the fifth attempt). The landing of the first stage on the barge was too hard due to the lack of fuel for preliminary braking.