SpaceX could launch Falcon rocket from KSC in November
Days after CEO Elon Musk said SpaceX was struggling to determine what caused a Falcon 9 rocket's recent explosion on a Cape Canaveral pad, the company on Tuesday announced plans to resume launches as soon as November from either Florida or California.
When the Falcon 9 does fly next from the Space Coast, it will do so from historic pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, which has not hosted a launch since the final space shuttle mission more than five years ago.
"We’re anticipating getting back to flight, being down for about three months, getting back to flight in the November timeframe," said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, during a panel discussion at a space-industry conference in Paris. "We’ll launch on the East Coast from pad 39A in that timeframe, and then Vandenberg (Air Force Base in California) will be available for our customers."
Shotwell revealed the rapid return-to-flight plan while acknowledging that SpaceX has not yet figured out if rocket or ground systems were to blame for blasts that destroyed a Falcon 9 and $200 million commercial satellite on Sept. 1, while the rocket was being fueled for a pre-launch engine test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, satellite destroyed in explosion
SpaceX has not confirmed if the Falcon 9 will return to flight from Florida or California.
But the next Florida mission will mark the first launch of a Falcon rocket from KSC's pad 39A, the launching point for the Apollo moon landings and dozens of shuttle missions, including the last one in July 2011.
SpaceX leased pad 39A from NASA and has been renovating the complex to support future launches of astronauts in Dragon capsules atop Falcon 9 rockets, and of larger Falcon Heavy rockets.
The oft-delayed debut of the Falcon Heavy, which will become the world's most powerful rocket, has been pushed back — again — from late this year until at least the first quarter of next year. And Shotwell said the flight could be moved from KSC back to Vandenberg, where it was originally scheduled.
The shift of Falcon 9 launches to KSC appears to confirm that Launch Complex 40, SpaceX's primary Florida pad located just south of KSC, will be out of commission for an extended period due to damage from the fireball nearly two weeks ago that consumed the rocket and Spacecom's Amos-6 communications satellite.
The company has not detailed the pad's condition or how long repairs might take.
It also has not said which mission will launch from KSC. Several commercial satellites are awaiting rides on the Falcon 9, and NASA had planned a launch of International Space Station cargo around that time.
Meanwhile Iridium, the company hoping to launch communications satellites next from Vandenberg in California, said Tuesday it was awaiting the results of SpaceX's failure investigation.
"We’re encouraged by SpaceX's November target, but all is based on a successful root cause determination and resolution," said spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry. "We're ready to launch when our rocket is ready."
Shotwell's schedule update came four days after Musk described the rocket explosion as "turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years." Musk appealed to anyone with photos, video or audio of the event to share the material, saying it could help the company's investigation.
SpaceX is leading an investigation with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, and support from NASA and the Air Force.
In her opening remarks at Euroconsult's World Satellite Business Week in Paris, posted on YouTube, Shotwell took time to celebrate an "extraordinary launch year" prior to this month. SpaceX had launched successfully nine times since December following an in-flight Falcon 9 failure last year, all but one of those by an upgraded Falcon 9 whose first-stage boosters landed six times on land or at sea.
"I don’t know that everybody appreciates it, but certainly that I think is really a leap forward in launches for our customers," she said.
SpaceX had hoped to re-fly a recovered Falcon booster for the first time later this year.
Shotwell also stressed the importance of SpaceX having ended Untied Launch Alliance's "monopoly" on launches of national security missions for the Department of Defense, saying competition is "now the name of the game" in that sector.
Bids for the launch of another Global Positioning System satellite, the second potential head-to-head competition between the rivals, are due to the Air Force by Monday. It remains to be seen if SpaceX's recent setback hurts its competitive position even as it offers lower prices than ULA.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: No obvious cause of Falcon 9 rocket explosion
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