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UPDATE: Falcon 9 launch delayed till Saturday at the earliest

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
Posted at 11:53 AM, Apr 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-15 10:15:50-04

UPDATE: The Falcon 9 launch that will send a security payload into space for the National Reconnaissance Office has been delayed from its Friday morning liftoff time.

In a tweet shared at 8:50 p.m. Thursday night, SpaceX said the earliest the NROL-85 mission will launch is now some time on Saturday, April 16.

The National Reconnaissance Office said the launch has been delayed because of technical difficulties.

On Thursday afternoon, SpaceX had tweeted that the weather was 70% favorable for the original liftoff.

It did not appear that weather was a factor in the delay.

SpaceX has not provided a new target time for the launch.
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UPDATE: The launch time has been set for 6:41 a.m. Friday. If it does not happen, the next attempt would be Saturday at 6:27 a.m.

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ORIGINAL STORY: SpaceX is preparing for another launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The launch window Friday for the Falcon 9 is between 5:59 a.m. and 7:25 a.m.

The NROL-85 mission is the second partnership between SpaceX and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) this year.

It will be the first NRO launch to reuse a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster. The plan is to reuse the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster used in the February NROL-87 launch.

Following the launch, the rocket's first stage will return to land on Landing Zone 4 at the base.

People from Ventura to San Luis Obispo counties may hear several sonic booms as the vehicle breaks the sound barrier upon re-entry.

The rocket will carry a national security payload designed by the NRO.