SpaceX Stands Down from Crew-6 Launch and California Starlink Mission [Update]

Photo: NASA

Just moments before liftoff on late Sunday/early Monday, @SpaceX announced that it was standing down its Crew-6 Mission launch due to a TEA-TEB ground system issue.

SpaceX said it’s now shooting for no earlier than Thursday, March 2 for the Crew-6 Mission launch, set for 12:34 a.m. ET, as can now be seen on the company’s website.

The company also stated on Monday that it was standing down the launch of 51 Starlink satellites in California due to unfavorable weather, later stating that a Florida Starlink launch was being postponed until 6:13 p.m. ET due to a space weather concern.

SpaceX said another opportunity was available on Tuesday for its separate Florida Starlink mission. However, the company added that the Crew-6 Mission has priority over the Starlink launch, noting that it would stand down from the Starlink launch if conditions were favorable for the former mission.

Update: SpaceX now says “Due to a space weather concern, now targeting no earlier than 6:13 p.m. ET for today’s launch of 21 second-generation Starlink satellites from Florida.”

TEA-TEB refers to Triethylaluminum-Triethylborane, which is used by SpaceX to help ignite SpaceX’s Merlin ground engines. SpaceX also stated that both Crew-6 and the Dragon spacecraft were healthy after the cancellation.

The Crew-6 mission will cart four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard the Dragon spacecraft, at which time the Crew-5 astronauts will use the craft to return to Earth after around six months on the orbital station.