SpaceX Falcon 9 Return To Flight Launch Delayed One Day, Will Now Blastoff Monday

By  //  January 6, 2017

will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base

ABOVE VIDEO: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the pad during a static test firing on Sept. 1, 2016 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Sation. (USLaunchReport video)

SpaceX announced that the return to flight for the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California will be postponed one day. Originally scheduled for a Sunday, January 8 liftoff, SpaceX will now blastoff on Monday at 7:28 a.m. ET.

This will be the return to flight for SpaceX after a fiery explosion destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket on the pad during a static test firing on Sept. 1, 2016 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Sation’s Space Launch Complex 40.

SpaceX will launch 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into Earth orbit – watch the launch live Monday on Space Coast Daily TV.

A post-accident SpaceX investigation revealed the cause of the Falcon 9 explosion was that one of three composite overwrapped pressure vessels in the second stage tank failed.

The reason was a buckled liner that caused liquid oxygen to build up. The buildup of liquid oxygen, friction, and a spark led to an explosion that destroyed the rocket.

Schedule of Upcoming Rocket Launches From Cape Canaveral In JanuaryRelated Story:
Schedule of Upcoming Rocket Launches From Cape Canaveral In January

SpaceX’s investigation scoured 93 milliseconds of video and telemetry data, which was the amount of time between the first signs of trouble and when the second stage exploded and destroyed a satellite owned by Facebook.

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SpaceX announced that the return to flight for the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California will be postponed one day. Originally scheduled for a Sunday, January 8 liftoff, SpaceX will now blastoff on Monday at 7:28 a.m. ET.