SpaceX has scheduled is first launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since one exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in September. The next launch is slated to take place on Dec. 16 from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB).
The VAFB press office confirmed with the Sun that the rocket is expected to take flight at 12:36 p.m., though launches are always tentative until they actually happen. SpaceX has partnered with Iridium, a Virginia-based satellite communications company, for the planned launch, which would send 10 small satellites into orbit.
The Dec. 16 Falcon 9 launch won’t be SpaceX’s first from VAFB: On Jan. 17, the company launched the Jason-3 satellite into orbit from VAFB, kicking off a joint U.S.-European satellite mission to track the rate of global sea level rise and help forecast tropical storms and hurricanes.
The Jan. 17 launch also marked SpaceX’s third failure to land the Falcon 9 on an offshore drone ship, which might have preserved the reusable launch system. When the rocket landed on the barge that day, one of its four legs collapsed, causing it to tip over and explode. Shortly after the botched landing, video footage of the explosion went viral online.