No longer running just International Space Station (ISS) resupply missions, SpaceX is getting busier and busier, seemingly attempting another launch every other week.
According to NBC News, the private space company attempted to launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) Sunday. But the launch had to be delayed because of a radar issues with the Cape Canaveral, Fla. Air Force base.
At the time of the delay Sunday, the launch was pushed to Monday evening at 6 p.m. ET "at the earliest." On NASA's website, the space agency, NOAA and U.S. Air Force released a joint statement saying the launch's next attempt would come Tuesday night.
"The next launch attempt for the DSCOVR mission will now be Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6:05 p.m. EST with a backup launch opportunity on Wednesday, Feb 11 at 6:03 p.m. Weather for an attempt on Monday, Feb 9 is unfavorable," the statement read. "If that attempt were to scrub for weather, we would lose either the Tuesday or Wednesday launch opportunity due to crew rest requirements for the Air Force. Teams will target launch on Tuesday with a backup of Wednesday as weather is more favorable on both of those days. While it is not required for flight, SpaceX will leverage the extra time to replace a video transmitter on the first stage in advance of the next attempt."
The NOAA has been waiting 17 years to launch their DSCOVR satellite, which cost them $340 million. Al Gore, who was President Bill Clinton's vice president at the time, first proposed the DSCOVR satellite.
The mission never got off the ground, as President George W. Bush shuttered it when he took office two years later.
Recently revived by NASA, the NOAA and the U.S. Air Force, DSCOVR will aim to provide early warnings for potentially dangerous solar flares, which can disrupt communication satellites and electrical grids.