SpaceX has been cleared to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, after the Federal Aviation Administration stated that it had accepted the findings of a SpaceX investigation into the explosion of one of its rockets during a static fire test at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The FAA has since issued SpaceX a return-to-flight certificate.
A Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 1:22 pm EST on Monday carrying 10 Iridium communication satellites.
SpaceX fuelled the rocket on Thursday and successfully carried out the same static test as it had when the explosion occurred in September 2016.
The launch should go ahead as scheduled weather permitting. As of now weather forecasts predict rain during the launch, which could see it postponed.
“With completion of the static fire test, our first launch has just gotten that much closer,” said Iridium CEO Matt Desch, in a statement on Friday. “The Iridium team has been anxiously awaiting launch day, and we’re now all the more excited to send those first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit.”
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SOURCE: International Business Times, Andrew Josef
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