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Falcon 9 rocket ready for all-important return to service Saturday
SpaceX rolled a fully-assembled Falcon 9 booster out of its hangar and lifted it on top of a launch pad Friday for the first time since an explosion grounded the commercial rocket last year, setting the stage for a one-second launch window Saturday to take off from California's Central Coast and deploy the first 10 satellites in orbit for a $3 billion upgrade to Iridium's globe-spanning message relay network.
Q&A with Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium (members only)
Iridium chief executive Matt Desch spoke with Spaceflight Now on the eve of the first launch for the company’s next-generation satellite fleet, discussing the $3 billion upgrade’s technical and financial ramifications and his feelings before deployments begin in orbit.
Next SpaceX launch slipped to avoid stormy weather, range conflict
Forecasters predict a rainy, breezy week along California's Central Coast, and the poor weather will keep SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket grounded until at least Jan. 14, officials said Sunday.
FAA signs off on SpaceX mishap investigation
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted a launch license for SpaceX's deployment of 10 Iridium communications satellites next week after reviewing the company's inquiry into a Falcon 9 rocket explosion in September, an agency spokesperson said Friday.
Engine hotfire test completed for SpaceX’s first launch since explosion
SpaceX's launch team fueled up a Falcon 9 rocket on a California launch pad Thursday, fired the booster's nine Merlin engines, and passed a key preflight test for the first time since a Falcon 9 exploded during a similar practice countdown in September.
Iridium satellites closed up for launch on Falcon 9 rocket
The first 10 satellites for Iridium's next-generation mobile voice and data relay network have been fueled, joined with their deployment module and encapsulated inside the clamshell-like nose cone of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster for launch as soon as next week from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
SpaceX’s first crew launch moved back to 2018
Astronauts will not fly to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship until at least May 2018, NASA said this week, missing a previous target launch date at the end of next year.
SpaceX return-to-flight slips to early January
SpaceX's first mission since a rocket explosion on a Florida launch pad is now scheduled for early January, when a Falcon 9 booster is set to begin a 70-satellite deployment for Iridium's next-generation voice and data relay network, the company announced Wednesday.
SpaceX sets Dec. 16 for first flight since launch pad explosion
The first 10 satellites in Iridium's next-generation mobile voice and data network could head into orbit from California as soon as Dec. 16 on SpaceX's first Falcon 9 flight since a booster exploded on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral in September, grounding the commercial launcher more than three months.
SpaceX hopes procedure fix can allow Falcon 9 launches to resume
Investigators probing the Sept. 1 explosion of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on its launch pad in Florida believe a high-pressure gas tank inside the launcher's upper stage most likely burst due to the conditions of the helium loaded into it, a finding that could simplify fixes needed before the commercial booster can return to service.