SpaceX’s return to flight delayed another week



Winds will be too strong Monday morning for SpaceX’s first planned launch in nearly five months from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Hawthorne company announced Sunday.

“With high winds and rain in the forecast at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the first launch of 10 IridiumNEXT satellites is now planned for January 14,” according to a statement from Virginia-based Iridium, which is replacing its old satellites with next-generation ones to be carried into orbit by Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

The much-anticipated flight has been dogged by troubles since a Sept. 1 explosion destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and its payload during a practice launch at Cape Canaveral.

The Federal Aviation Administration blocked a December trip over concerns about the planned solution to the problem that caused the explosion. SpaceX has said that the issue occurred when a fueling tank buckled under the pressure of super-chilled helium propellant that was being loaded.

The FAA approved the flight on Friday after viewing a successful test launch Thursday. SpaceX officials said they will be using warmer propellant this time.

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