SpaceX postpones launch of its first internet network satellites

SpaceX postponed a launch of 60 satellites into low-Earth orbit that was scheduled for Thursday night, possibly until next week, citing a need for software updates.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral was to be the first of potentially thousands in its Starlink project to beam broadband internet across the planet, reports AFP.

“Standing down to update satellite software and triple-check everything again,” said a tweet from the official SpaceX account. “Always want to do everything we can on the ground to maximize mission success, next launch opportunity in about a week.”

The launch, which was initially envisaged for Wednesday, was first delayed because of high winds.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s firm, which is leading the private space race when it comes to rocket launches, is now looking to seize a chunk of the future space internet market.

The launch will make it an early forerunner, along with rival OneWeb, a startup, but well ahead of Amazon’s Project Kuiper, the brainchild of Musk’s space rival Jeff Bezos.