Live coverage: Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from California, lands in Pacific

Relativity Space, a small launch startup aiming to fly its orbital rocket from Cape Canaveral for the first time next year, announced Wednesday it has signed a contract with Iridium for up to six launches of the company’s spare communications satellites. Relativity also announced it plans to develop a second launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to allow for missions to polar orbits.

The mission, dubbed KF-02, is the fourth flight to date of Project Kuiper satellites. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 8:57 a.m. EDT (1257 UTC) on Sunday, Aug. 10.

The launch of a Japanese H-2B rocket was called off Tuesday after a fire broke out on the launch pad a few hours before liftoff. A new target launch date has not been confirmed. The mission will carry an HTV cargo ship into orbit on a resupply run to the International Space Station.