SpaceX will make its third attempt to launch a satellite into space at 5:41 p.m. EST this evening.
The SpaceX team hopes to launch a communication satellite owned by SES S.A. on their Falcon 9 rocket, Reuters reported.
The most recent failed launch attempt took place on Thanksgiving, when the launch was halted seconds before takeoff. The launch was intercepted because the "first-stage engine wasn't ramping up thrust levels as quickly as expected," Reuters reported.
Upon closer inspection the team found oxygen had gotten into an engine igniter system.
"Rocket engines are healthy, but cleaning turbopump gas generators will take another day," company founder and chief executive Elon Musk posted on Twitter, Reuters reported.
The first launch attempt on Nov. 25 was also stopped in its tracks due to a number of issues including a glitch with the "rocket's first-stage liquid oxygen pressurization system."
"Want to be super careful," Musk wrote on Twitter after the first failed launch, Reuters reported.
The communication satellite the company is attempting to launch, called SES-8, hopes to deliver broadband and cable to people in Vietnam, India, and China, Reuters reported.
"It's an extremely important satellite for us," Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer of SES, said in a prelaunch press meeting, Reuters reported. "We know that as we go forward into these very significant growth markets that it's absolutely critical that we have a cost-effective and efficient way to get to orbit. That's really what SpaceX has brought us."
SES paid about $55 million to launch their satellite on Falcon 9, which is a significantly lower price than they usually pay to hitch a ride on the Russian Proton and European Ariane rockets.
"There's always some risk associated with the flight not working. So we're very appreciative that SES would place a bet on SpaceX," Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and chief executive said, Reuters reported.
