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SpaceX postpones launch of 51 Starlink satellites

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Transporter 6 payload from Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on January 3 for the first launch of 2023. SpaceX scrubbed Tuesday's launch of 51 Starlink Internet satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base to "take a closer look at data from second stage." The launch was rescheduled for Wednesday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the Transporter 6 payload from Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on January 3 for the first launch of 2023. SpaceX scrubbed Tuesday's launch of 51 Starlink Internet satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base to "take a closer look at data from second stage." The launch was rescheduled for Wednesday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- SpaceX delayed its launch of Starlink Internet satellites Tuesday night, saying it was "standing down" to analyze data from the Falcon 9 rocket's second stage as the launch was rescheduled for Wednesday.

SpaceX had planned to launch the Falcon 9 rocket topped with 51 of its Internet satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:02 p.m. EST on Tuesday before it was canceled for a second time.

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About 45 minutes before Tuesday's launch, SpaceX announced the launch had been scrubbed.

"Standing down from today's launch of Starlink to take a closer look at data from second stage; teams are setting up for next launch opportunity, which is tomorrow, January 11 at 7:48 p.m. PT," SpaceX tweeted.

An earlier launch, scheduled for Monday night from California, was also rescheduled due to bad weather.

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SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with 40 OneWeb Internet satellites Monday night from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Last week, SpaceX launched its first rocket of 2023 with 114 satellites to provide various services for agriculture, maritime monitoring and radio scrutiny.

If all goes according to plan with Wednesday's launch, the Falcon 9's first stage is expected to return to Earth in less than 9 minutes and will touch down on the SpaceX droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Pacific Ocean.

The 51 new satellites will be deployed in low-Earth orbit about 29 minutes after liftoff, according to a SpaceX mission description.

Wednesday's planned launch will boost the total number of Starlink satellites, in SpaceX's Internet communication satellite constellation, to 3,717.

Last month, the aerospace manufacturing company owned by billionaire Elon Musk received federal approval to launch 7,500 satellites to expand SpaceX's Starlink Internet services around the world.

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