Space Exploration Technologies Corp. plans to launch several Iridium communications satellites Jan. 8 from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, signaling a rebound from the failed Falcon 9 rocket launch in Florida in September.
An accident investigation team determined that the September launch failure was likely due to an accumulation of oxygen or a void in the buckle of the liner, the company said on Jan. 2.
The $200 million Facebook satellite that was destroyed in the September explosion would’ve brought the Internet to underserved parts of the developing world.