It’s been quite a while since a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off, but the Federal Aviation Administration has officially approved the company’s report on the September explosion that put a pause on all future launches. Now, SpaceX is ready to launch on Monday, January 9.
The FAA made their announcement on Friday afternoon, and gave SpaceX a license to launch ten Iridium Communications satellites into space. It’s the first of seven planned launches for SpaceX as they help Iridium get a new communications fleet into space.
After some confusion about when exactly it would be (because people can’t agree if a week starts on Sunday or Monday, Elon Musk), we now officially know that the launch will take place on Monday, January 9 at 10:22 a.m. PST, assuming weather permits it. The launch was originally planned for January 8, according to Iridium CEO Matt Desch, but it was pushed back a day due to a storm scheduled to hit California.
“Looks like we’re good to go for Monday!” he tweeted. “Payload/rocket mating underway; we’ll just have to see about the weather. Anti-rain dances, anyone?”
If that anti-rain dance works, the SpaceX will launch from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base by Monday morning.
