SpaceX scrubs rocket launch for third time

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- SpaceX scrubbed its Sunday night launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station due to various technical issues. A new launch date was not announced.

Sunday's scrubbed launch was the third attempt to launch its Falcon 9 rocket.

SES, a Luxembourg-based company, tweeted earlier Sunday the launch's scheduled date and time. It also announced the take-off on its official web site.

An earlier forecast issued by the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron showed near-perfect conditions for the launch, Florida Today reported. The company planned to use Monday as a backup date, but no announcement has been made since Sunday's launch was canceled.

The weather is also expected to be good Monday with a 90 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

SES attempted launches Feb. 24 and 25, but scrubbed both citing challenges to keeping the two-stage rocket's liquid oxygen supply at cold enough temperatures.

The rocket, once launched successfully, will deliver SES-9, a commercial communications satellite for SES, to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit, the company said. SES provides satellite-enabled communications services to Internet providers, broadcasters, mobile and fixed operators and to business and government agencies.

SES says the satellite should deploy within 30 minutes of launch.

The satellite company owns and operates a fleet of over 50 geostationary satellites complemented by a network of teleports and offices around the globe, according to its website. The company says that "far-reaching infrastructure enables it to reach 99 percent of the world's population."