ABL Space Systems now targeting Thursday for 1st-ever launch after glitch

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The three-hour launch window opens at 5 p.m. ET.

ABL Space System's RS1 rocket on the launch pad at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska on Nov. 14, 2022. A planned liftoff that day was scrubbed due to a leaky valve in the rocket’s pressurization system.
ABL Space System's RS1 rocket on the launch pad at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska on Nov. 14, 2022. A planned liftoff that day was scrubbed due to a leaky valve in the rocket’s pressurization system. (Image credit: ABL Space Systems via Twitter)

A new rocket is set to make its debut on Thursday (Nov. 17).

ABL Space Systems tried to launch its RS1 rocket from Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex on Monday (Nov. 14) but scrubbed the attempt after noticing abnormal data during fuel loading.

The California-based company quickly identified and fixed the problem, a leaky valve in the rocket's pressurization system. ABL is now gearing up for its next try, which will come on Thursday during a three-hour window that opens at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT), the company announced via Twitter on Tuesday. 

The launch will apparently not be livestreamed — Monday's attempt was not — so we'll have to rely on updates from ABL about how things are going on Thursday. 

Related: A history of rockets

ABL, which was founded in 2017, aims to carve out a niche in the small-satellite launch market with the 88-foot-tall (27 meters) RS1, which can deliver up to 2,975 pounds (1,350 kilograms) of payload to low Earth orbit (LEO) on each $12 million mission.

The rocket and its associated ground system are designed to be quickly deployable. The ground system, for example, packs into shipping containers and can be set up at any launch site around the world that has a suitably flat surface, company representatives say.

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Thursday's mission is a test flight that will carry two shoebox-sized cubesats to low Earth orbit. The satellites, each of which weighs about 24 pounds (11 kilograms), will test marine data communications operations for the company ViaSat LLC.

The current launch window runs through next Monday (Nov. 21). The faulty valve was apparently fixed in time for a Tuesday try, but forecasts called for high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday, convincing ABL to shoot for Thursday instead, the company said via Twitter. 

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.  

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.