Monday, January 2, 2017

SpaceX Targets Launch From Vandenberg For Sunday

Hawthorne-based SpaceX announced on Monday that it will attempt to launch its first payload into space since an accident in September at Cape Canaveral. According to SpaceX, it will now attempt to launch ten Iridium satellites on Sunday, January 8th, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is north of Santa Barbara, California. SpaceX announced the launch, from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), after clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on conclusion of an investigation into the explosion on September 1st. SpaceX said that investigation found traced the fault to one of the three composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) inside the second stage liquid oxygen (LOX) tank. SpaceX also said it would return to a prior flight configuration and make changes to avoid the issue.

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