SpaceX Set To Launch Falcon 9 Sunday After Successful Static-Fire Test
By Space Coast Daily // December 19, 2015
launch scheduled for 8:29 p.m. sunday
BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – SpaceX successfully completed a static-fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket’s main engines on Friday, according to SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk.
SpaceX has now set Sunday for the launch of Falcon 9, which will be the company’s return-to-flight mission after a failed launch last June.
“Static fire test looks good,” Musk said on Twitter. “Pending data review, will aim to launch Sunday.”
The launch is scheduled for 8:29 p.m., with a secondary launch date of Dec. 22.
The Falcon 9 payload will be 11 next-generation OG2 satellites and is part of ORBCOMM’s second and final OG2 Mission at Cape Canaveral.
According to ORBCOMM, the OG2 satellites are far more advanced than its current OG1 satellites designed to provide existing customers with significant enhancements, such as faster message delivery, larger message sizes and better coverage at higher latitudes, while drastically increasing network capacity.
In addition, the OG2 satellites are equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) payload to receive and report transmissions from AIS-equipped vessels for ship tracking and other maritime navigational and safety efforts, increasing asset visibility and the probability of detection for ORBCOMM’s AIS customers.
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