SpaceX launch cancelled minutes before lift-off due to bad weather

Moments before launching NASA scrubbed today's launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket (Getty)

SpaceX has been forced to cancel its latest launch due to adverse weather conditions.

The private space firm scrubbed the lift off of its Falcon 9 rocket just minutes before its scheduled launch time, as rain clouds passed over the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The launch was already delayed, having previously been scheduled for 26 June. A new launch time is yet to be confirmed.

"Standing down from today’s mission due to weather; proceeding through the countdown until T-1 minute for data collection," the firm tweeted. "Will announce a new target launch date once confirmed on the Range."

The mission was set to deliver a batch of 57 Starlink satellites into orbit as part of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's plan to beam high-speed internet down to Earth.

More than 500 Starlink satellites are already in orbit, with hopes that they will eventually form part of a 12,000-strong constellation.

SpaceX is yet to announce a precise date for when the service will go live but it is already requesting beta testers in Canada and northern parts of the US.

The space-based internet service has already been successfully used by Mr Musk, who used it to send out a tweet in late 2019.