SpaceX scrubs launch of mysterious RRT-1 mission due to high winds

SpaceX scrubbed the planned launch of the mysterious RRT-1 mission from Florida’s Space Coast on Friday (Dec. 13)_ due to high winds.

A Falcon 9 rocket had been scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Friday at 8:04 p.m. EDT (0104 GMT on Dec. 14), kicking off a mission that SpaceX calls RRT-1.

But SpaceX called off the attempt due to high winds. “Teams will continue to keep a close eye on the weather as we work toward the next best launch opportunity. A new target launch date will be shared once available,” the company said via X on Friday night.

Many space observers think the RRT-1 mission will send an advanced GPS satellite to orbit — specifically, GPS 3-10, another member of the venerable navigation network’s third generation of spacecraft. SpaceX holds a contract to launch three of these satellites for the U.S. military and has already sent one of them aloft, in January 2023.

Related: SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force, nails the landing

But SpaceX’s mission description doesn’t say anything about GPS satellites; it doesn’t even explain what RRT-1 stands for, if that name is indeed an acronym. And the fairing that surrounds and protects the RRT-1 payload apparently features no artwork or logos, a departure from the norm that adds to the intrigue.

If all goes according to plan on RRT-1, the Falcon 9’s first stage will come back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after launch, touching down on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean. It will be the fourth liftoff and landing for this particular booster, according to SpaceX’s mission description.

The rocket’s upper stage, meanwhile, will deploy the RRT-1 payload, whatever it may be, into orbit about 90 minutes after launch.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:55 p.m. ET on Dec. 13 with news of the launch scrub.