SpaceX scrubs maiden flight of Block 5, will try again Friday [Updated]

Enlarge / The Block 5 rocket on the way to the launch pad. (credit: Elon Musk/Instagram)

6:10pm ET Update: Scrub! The Falcon 9 rocket's ground systems aborted the launch of a Bangladeshi satellite at T-58 seconds for an unspecified reason. However, SpaceX seems to think it will be able to turn around the new Block 5 variant of the Falcon 9 rocket for a second launch attempt on Friday, at 4:14pm ET (20:14 UTC). We'll be watching then.

5:20pm ET Update: Fueling of the Falcon 9 rocket has begun, with a 5:47pm ET (21:47 UTC) launch time anticipated.

Original post: A Falcon 9 rocket has gone vertical on Thursday morning at Launch Complex 39A in Florida, and SpaceX is on track for the liftoff of a brand new version of its workhorse booster. The launch of the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 to geostationary transfer orbit is set for 4:12pm ET (20:12 UTC) Thursday, with a launch window that stretches for a little more than two hours.

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