SpaceX launches Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission after weather scrub, booster lands 19th flight

SpaceX launched its Bandwagon-5 dedicated rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday morning, a day after poor weather in the booster recovery zone scrubbed the first attempt. Liftoff came at 7:04 a.m. ET (16:04 PKT) from Space Launch Complex 40, Florida Today reported.

The Falcon 9 carried 32 payloads, including SpaceX’s uncrewed Starfall reentry capsule and 31 customer satellites, on a southeasterly trajectory toward a mid-inclination low-Earth orbit, Spaceflight Now reported. The 45th Weather Squadron had forecast a 90 percent chance of acceptable launch-site weather for the second attempt, after a cold front drifted south and eased high-wind concerns.

Roughly nine minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster — designated B1085 — touched down on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic, completing its 19th flight and landing, Florida Today reported. Brevard County Emergency Management deactivated its launch operations support team shortly after, confirming a successful launch.

Monday’s scrub had been called solely because of weather in the recovery zone, not because of any issue with the rocket or its payloads, NeoTeo reported. Bandwagon-5 is SpaceX’s fifth dedicated mid-inclination rideshare mission, serving customers that need orbits distinct from the sun-synchronous profiles of its Transporter flights.