The California based aerospace manufacturer and space transport company, SpaceX, had suppressed all its missions after the explosion of its Falcon 9 rocket, at the Cape Canaveral launchpad on September 1st. The company is finally making its highly awaited return. The target launch date is yet to be announced but the company is rumored to be waiting for a launch window between 7th and 9th of January, after a clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The recovery and return of Spacex on the launch pad could be considered as a great step in the field of private space-crafting. SpaceX expected to resume its launching operations by December 2016 but FAA’s review and investigation about the mishap as well as its own launch preparations shifted its return-to-flight in January.
As per the investigation reports the explosion during the pre-flight fueling was the result of frozen oxygen, which busted a tank containing helium at high pressure. The helium in question is basically used for creating pressure during the second stage of the rocket’s launch. SpaceX’s founder and head Alon Musk is positive that by making changes in the pre-flight fueling procedures, such mishaps can be avoided in the future.
The cargo for Falcon 9 mission this time are 10 satellites for Iridium’s next-generation mobile voice and data relay network. As a result of the September mishap, SpaceX schedule suffered due to investigations. But despite all the delays, SpaceX continues to gain clients including NASA.
The return-to-flight launch is supposed to take place from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
December 16 was previously opted as the potential return-to-flight date for the mission by both SpaceX and Iridium, but they had not been provided with clearance by FAA to proceed with the launch. The next launch window is between January 7 to Jnauary 9, but the chances of clearance still remain uncertain.
