SpaceX launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base canceled seconds before expected take-off

VANDENBERG, Calif. – A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of 46 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base was canceled seconds before it was supposed to take off on Thursday morning.

The launch was planned for 10:39 a.m., but teams put a hold on the launch 46 seconds before the Falcon 9 was set to blast off.

"The purpose of the countdown is to help us catch potential issues prior to flight," said a SpaceX team member who was narrating the live stream. "There are a thousand ways a launch can go wrong, and only one way that it could go right."

SpaceX will try the launch again on Friday at 10:39 a.m.

The 46 satellites will launch to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East.

Following the stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage will return to Earth and land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship that is stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

The first stage booster supporting the mission previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, and SARah-1.