CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Dec. 19 (UPI) — SpaceX will launch its newly upgraded Falcon 9 rocket for the first time in six months on Sunday.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed the plans on Twitter late Friday night. The 45th Weather Squadron, part of the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, has scheduled the launch for 8:29 p.m. ET, weather permitting.
A recent test of the rocket’s main engines leave Musk seemingly confident of the scheduled Cape Canaveral launch. “Static fire test looks good,” Musk tweeted Friday evening. “Pending data review, will aim to launch Sunday.”
Static fire test looks good. Pending data review, will aim to launch Sunday.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2015
Currently looking good for a Sunday night (~8pm local) attempted orbital launch and rocket landing at Cape Canaveral— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2015
The upgraded Falcon 9 is set to launch 11 Orbcomm satellites into orbit. It is possible SpaceX will again attempt to land the first stage of the rocket, designed to be reusable.
The Falcon 9 failed its last mission to deliver a SpaceX Dragon capsule of supplies to the International Space Station on June 28. The exploded rocket “experienced an anomaly,” SpaceX said at the time, “which led to a failure of the mission.”
In November, SpaceX was contracted by NASA to lead the company’s first manned mission to the International Space Station. The order is the space agency’s second as part of its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program since contracting aerospace company Boeing in May. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is expected to transport astronauts in 2017.
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