SpaceX scrubs planned launch of Falcon 9

But, SpaceX isn’t expecting a successful landing.

While SpaceX launches have thus far gone without a hitch, the most important moment is the landing, when rockets have met more mixed fates.

The satellite will be co-located with SES-7 and assist DTH operators with their transition to HD and Ultra HD content.

A SpaceX booster attempting to land on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Kennedy.

The scrub came approximately when the launch team performs a poll for readiness to proceed with fueling of the 230-foot rocket, so a technical problem may have prevented fueling from proceeding. The company launched and successfully landed a rocket for the first time on land at Cape Canaveral back in December 2015.

The rocket is scheduled to take off at 6:46 p.m. and will carry an SES satellite into orbit that will help telecommunications and broadcasts in Asia. Following stage separation, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will attempt an experimental landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship.

The California-based company headed by Elon Musk cautioned this week that a successful landing was “not expected”.

It would also mark the fourth attempt at a return sea-based landing of the Falcon 9’s main stage, a milestone in Musk’s goal to develop a cheap and reusable booster.

Satellite launches aren’t a sure thing, but they are relatively routine. The company has a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites. So, although a barge landing will be attempted, company officials say the odds are looking slim. It is designed for TV broadcasting and mobile communications across a portion of Earth from Africa and the Middle East to Southeast Asia. SES-9 was built by Boeing Satellite Systems International.

The satellite is meant to have a 15-year service life, eventually settling into an operating post in geostationary orbit along the equator.

In January, a Falcon 9 spacecraft was attempting to land in the Pacific Ocean when it suddenly toppled over and exploded. Coverage starts 20 minutes before liftoff.