SpaceX delays Bulgaria Satellite Again, Plans 'Doubleheader'

A screen capture of SpaceX's YouTube feed shows a Falcon 9 rocket landing on a pad in Florida on June 3, 2017. (Screenshot / Orlando Sentinel)

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Sunday that the rocket launch company could be in line for a twin bill this weekend.

At about 3:29 p.m., the company posted on Twitter that its launch of a Bulgarian satellite, which had been planned for Monday morning, was going to be pushed back to either Friday or Saturday.

In a follow-up message, it said that, paired with a planned launch of a communications satellite on Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, it “could be a weekend doubleheader.”

Both payloads will take off on a Falcon 9 rocket.

The company blamed a valve on the rocket’s fairing for the latest delay.

A two-hour window was scheduled to open at 2:10 p.m. Monday.

The launch date for this mission has been delayed multiple times. On Thursday, it appeared on track for Monday’s liftoff after SpaceX conducted its routine static-fire tests.

But Saturday's Tweet changed that.

Once the rocket does launch, it will carry BulgariaSat-1, the country’s first geostationary telecommunications satellite.

SpaceX has three planned launches from Florida in July.

Officials with Bulgaria Sat, the largest provider of pay-TV services in Bulgaria, blamed weather forecasts for the initial June 15 delay.

The Bulgaria Sat launch will mark the second time SpaceX relaunches a rocket booster, following the March 30 relaunch of a booster from Florida.