Falcon 9 Rocket Ready for All-Important Return to Service Saturday
SpaceX rolled a fully-assembled Falcon 9 booster out of its hangar and lifted it on top of a launch pad Friday for the first time since an explosion grounded the commercial rocket last year, setting the stage for a one-second launch window Saturday to take off from California’s Central Coast and deploy the first 10 satellites in orbit for a $3 billion upgrade to Iridium’s globe-spanning message relay network.
Liftoff is set for 9:54:39 a.m. PST (12:54:39 p.m. EST; 1754:39 GMT) Saturday from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, a military launch facility located on the Pacific coastline northwest of Los Angeles.
Weather forecasters at Vandenberg predict a 40 percent chance gusty winds could prevent launch Saturday. If the Falcon 9 rocket does not get off the ground Saturday, there is a backup opportunity available Sunday.
More: Falcon 9 rocket ready for all-important return to service Saturday – Spaceflight Now