CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. — After days of delays, the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 launch was finally able to complete liftoff Monday from Florida's coast.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket gave the Italian Space Agency's radar surveillance satellite a lift at 6:11 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's SLC-40.
Previous launch attempts were scrubbed by both weather and a ship entering the hazard area during the countdown.
The rocket's engines roared to life as the clock hit 00:00, beginning its journey to carry the satellite into orbit.
Falcon 9's first stage made its return back to Earth with a successful land-based touchdown at Landing Zone 1.
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Original story
A radar surveillance satellite for the Italian space agency (ASI) will soon get a lift from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The commercial space company is set to launch the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 at 6:11 p.m. on Jan. 31 after "unfavorable weather" scrubbed the first four attempts.
Weather wasn't the issue with Sunday's launch. SpaceX said there was a ship in the hazard area that canceled the launch with 30 seconds until liftoff.
The satellite will be launched into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's SLC-40.
SpaceX says the Falcon 9 booster supporting the mission was previously used in the launch of Arabsat-6A and STP-2.
You can catch the mission from SpaceX with live coverage starting about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. Or you can tune into 10 Tampa Bay where we will be streaming live on Facebook and YouTube.