SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Launch Cleared for Liftoff Despite Lightning Strike and Stormy Weather.

SpaceX engineers completed checks of the Falcon Heavy rocket, its satellite payloads, and ground systems at the Kennedy Space Center after a lightning strike on the launch pad’s tower Thursday night, part of a wave of severe weather that forced officials to delay the launch attempt. The Falcon Heavy rocket is awaiting liftoff with the ViaSat 3 Americas broadband satellite, a high-power spacecraft heading to geostationary orbit to beam internet signals to rural consumers, airplane passengers, and ships across North and South America. Stormy weather could again be a problem Friday night, with the official forecast predicting a 70% chance of weather violating the Falcon Heavy’s launch criteria.