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SpaceX launches Space Force satellites from California

‘Tranche 0′ scrubbed Thursday, delayed Friday and Saturday

SpaceX launches Space Force satellites from California on Sunday, April 2, 2023. (SpaceX)

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – After delays and a scrub, SpaceX on Sunday successfully launched an assortment of U.S. Space Force satellites from California.

Mission managers on Thursday morning called out “abort, abort” just three seconds from launching the batch of military satellites with a Falcon 9 rocket. The “Tranche 0″ mission was scheduled to take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10:29 a.m. ET that day, according to SpaceX.

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The company then backed off from a launch attempt the next day, opting first to schedule Tranche 0 for a 10:29 a.m. ET launch on Saturday, April 1, ultimately targeting the same time April 2.

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As far as payloads, the mission carried and deployed a small network of data connectivity satellites for the United States Space Force (USSF) Space Development Agency (SDA); on SpaceX’s website, the satellites are described as serving the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, “a new layered network of satellites in low-Earth orbit and supporting elements that will provide global military communication and missile warning, indication, and tracking capabilities.”

Watch the launch again in the video player below.


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