SpaceX postpones launch of Falcon 9 rocket/EchoStar satellite; next attempt on Thursday

New Delhi: SpaceX has postponed the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket and commercial communications satellite EchoStar 23 on Tuesday due to strong winds.

"Standing down due to high winds; working toward next available launch opportunity," the Hawthorne, California-headquartered company headed by Elon Musk, said in a tweet.

The launch is now scheduled for Thursday, March 16.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was to deliver EchoStar XXIII, a commercial communications satellite for EchoStar Corporation, to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The satellite will be deployed approximately 34 minutes after launch, SpaceX said.

Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar Corporation is global provider of satellite communication solutions.

SpaceX will not attempt to land and recover the rocket's first stage with Falcon 9 lifting a heavy satellite to a high orbit.

The EchoStar XXIII mission will be SpaceX's second launch from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center.

(With IANS inputs)