TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Clouds -- and disappointment -- blanketed the Space Coast on Wednesday afternoon as the launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts into orbit was scrubbed with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown due to bad weather.
Before the launch was called off about 4:15 p.m., the excitement was palpable for members of one family. The father is an aerospace engineer from Gainesville, and so is the mother, who made NASA facemasks for the family.
“It’s the first time for a new era. For the kids, it’s exciting,” said Ricardo Bevilacqua and Noemi Livearti.
But the excitement among the thousands of people who gathered to watch the spacecraft blast off shifted to disappointment about 4:15 p.m. when the launch was postponed until Saturday afternoon and crowds quickly scattered.
"That’s what you gotta expect when you come this way. You never know,” said Tonya Farthing, who traveled to view the launch.
News4Jax also bumped into other families from Northeast Florida who made the drive to Titusville and are strongly considering a return this weekend.
“I’m scoping out spots and parking spots,” said Jimmy Hinsch, who traveled from Palatka. “I know better now -- kind of like a preview of where to park and set up and get a better view.”
The next launch attempt is set for 3:22 p.m. Saturday, and after that, the next launch window would be Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.