SpaceX cancels Starlink launch AGAIN after Elon Musk’s satellite mission is grounded by bad weather
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SPACEX has cancelled it's next scheduled Starlink satellite launch.
This original launch was supposed to go ahead on May 17, then tomorrow and now its been stood down until sometime after May 27.
Elon Musk's company tweeted: "Standing down from the Starlink mission, due to tropical storm Arthur, until after launch of Crew Demo-2."
This means that the next space mission to take off from US soil will be a crewed one.
The first spaceflight with astronauts onboard to take off from America in almost a decade.
This is set to take place on May 27, when hopefully storm Arthur won't be a problem.
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be blasting off on the mission from Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US.
SpaceX has designed the rocket and spacecraft for this mission.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft will take off on a Falcon 9 rocket so the astronauts can test out an extended stay at the International Space Station.
This is being referred to as the Demo-2 mission.
Nasa explained: “Lifting off from Launch Pad 39A atop a specially instrumented Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon will accelerate its two passengers to approximately 17,000 mph and put it on an intercept course with the International Space Station.
"Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control will verify the spacecraft is performing as intended by testing the environmental control system, the displays and control system and the maneuvering thrusters, among other things.
“In about 24 hours, Crew Dragon will be in position to rendezvous and dock with the space station.
“The spacecraft is designed to do this autonomously but astronauts aboard the spacecraft and the station will be diligently monitoring approach and docking and can take control of the spacecraft if necessary.”
How to see Starlink satellites
Whenever the next launch occurs you should be able to watch it live on the or official .
SpaceX should announce the next Starlink blast off ahead of time on its social media.
Starlink satellites are usually most visible just after a launch because they don't reach their intended orbit right away.
However, you can still occasionally spot the ones currently in the sky.
Not sure where to look? Your phone's got you covered.
There are a number of stargazing apps you can use to follow the path of Starlink probes.
On the Apple App Store, we'd recommend , which is free and helps you find all kinds of celestial wonders.
For Android fans, should do the trick (it's also available ).
Simply head outside at a scheduled time for a Starlink passby, load up one of the apps and you should be able to spot one.
Alternatively, you can visit the website (or the “Find Starlink Satellites” app) and enter your location.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a controversial scheme that aims to beam Wi-Fi to people from space using a "mega constellation" of thousands of satellites.
“With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet ... Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable,” the official website explains.
The project is the brainchild of tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose California-based rocket firm SpaceX builds and operates the satellites.
More than 420 have been launched so far, with the network eventually set to reach 12,000, rising to as many as 42,000 in the future.
SpaceX sends its satellites up in batches of 60 at a time. Each group is launched atop an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX.
The solar-powered tech typically orbits around 340 miles above Earth.
How the probes will affect the night sky is causing concern as they sit in a low orbit, so appear brighter than stars and planets.
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