Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX is shooting for a mid-December launch, its first since a dramatic rocket accident on the pad.
Iridium Communications Inc. said Thursday that 10 of its satellites will be aboard the SpaceX Falcon rocket tentatively scheduled to take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Dec. 16. That would end a 3 ½-month launch hiatus by SpaceX.
The Federal Aviation Administration must first sign off on the accident investigation. SpaceX says the investigation is nearly complete.
A massive fireball engulfed a Falcon rocket on the pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sept. 1. The rocket's helium pressurization system was breached as fueling was underway for a test firing. Engineers have zeroed in on a helium bottle in the second-stage oxygen tank.
___
Online:
SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
