SpaceX first of three Falcon 9 rocket missions launches linedup in Wednesday.

Space X


SpaceX successfully sent an Italian surveillance satellite to orbit Monday and now it has two launches lined up for Wednesday, blasting off from opposite coasts within about one hour and a half of each other.

Monday's mission launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite for the Italian Space Agency. Next, Elon Musk's company will loft a spy satellite from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base for the National Reconnaissance Office Wednesday at 12:18 p.m. PT (3:18 p.m. ET). Then, a Starlink launch will take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ​just 93 minutes later. 

Things weren't supposed to line up this way. Monday's launch was originally planned for last week but was pushed back a few days by poor weather. A Sunday evening attempt was then scrubbed at the literal last minute due to a cruise ship in the launch exclusion zone. 

SpaceX's launch director called it off with just over 30 seconds to go before engine ignition. 

"Port Canaveral and Coast Guard confirm the cruise ship that violated yesterday's SpaceX launch hazard area was Harmony of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship," reports Emre Kelly of Florida Today.

Royal Caribbean did not respond to a request for comment. 

The Starlink launch has also been pushed back a few times and was set to happen Monday, but Sunday's scrub appeared to have postponed it again to Tuesday. On Tuesday morning it became clear it had been pushed back one more time, to Wednesday. Further delays are always possible, so this launch itinerary could be reshuffled yet again. 

If the company does manage three launches in under 48 hours, it will set a new record for the shortest period of time for a single launch provider to do so. 

Monday's mission was the fourth of 2022 for SpaceX. The next two fights will be live-streamed starting about 10 minutes before launch. Check back for updates as the situation evolves.

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