Today's liftoff — which was pushed back from Jan. 9 because of bad weather and issues with launch-site availability — will also include some action in the downward direction. SpaceX plans to try to land the Falcon 9's first stage on a robotic "drone ship" stationed in the Pacific Ocean, as part of the company's effort to develop fully and rapidly reusable rockets. This is a priority for SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, who has said that such technology will slash the cost of spaceflight and help open the heavens to exploration.
The Sept. 1 explosion, which occurred during a routine prelaunch test of a Falcon 9, destroyed the rocket and the $200 million Amos-6 communications satellite. SpaceX investigators traced the cause of the accident to the failure of a high-pressure helium tank inside the Falcon 9's upper stage.
SpaceX announced earlier this month that it had wrapped up its mishap investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration has accepted the results of the inquiry and has granted SpaceX a launch license that covers the seven liftoffs required to loft the 70 Iridium-NEXT satellites from Vandenberg.
