SpaceX's first Falcon 9 rocket launch since an explosion in September will now lift off no earlier than Saturday (Jan. 14), a five-day delay that's due to high winds, rain and schedule conflicts at the company's California launch site.
SpaceX representatives announced the launch delay on Twitter on Sunday (Jan. 8). At the time, SpaceX was targeting a Monday launch of Falcon 9 from a pad at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base to send 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit for satellite operator Iridium.
"Launch moving due to high winds and rains at Vandenberg," SpaceX representatives wrote in the Twitter post. "Other range conflicts this week results in next available launch date being Jan 14."
SpaceX aims to return its Falcon 9 rockets to flight more than four months after a Falcon 9 carrying another commercial satellite, Israel's Amos-6 communications satellite, was destroyed Sept. 1 in an explosion during a routine pre-launch test at the company's Florida launchpad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. [Dramatic Video of SpaceX's Rocket Explosion]
In a Jan. 2 statement, SpaceX representatives stated that the explosion occurred when the aluminum liner of a composite overwrapped helium tank inside the Falcon 9 rocket's upper stage liquid oxygen tank buckled.
This buckling allowed liquid oxygen propellant to pool between the aluminum liner and carbon overwrap covering, according to SpaceX. The pooling propellant ultimately ignited, rupturing the helium tank and leading to the loss of the Falcon 9 on the pad. The company is modifying its helium-loading processes to avoid similar problems in the future.
Last week, on Jan. 6, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a launch license to SpaceX for its upcoming Falcon 9 mission. That announcement came one day after Musk announced via Twitter the success of a Falcon 9 engine static test firing at its launchpad, a standard SpaceX test performed before each Falcon 9 mission.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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