SpaceX Plans Launch Of Upgraded Falcon 9

SpaceX scheduled a static fire test of the Falcon 9’s first stage engines at Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 16. Florida Today reported that SpaceX lifted a Falcon 9 rocket vertical on its launch pad Wednesday, but as of 10 p.m. there was no confirmation that its engines had fired.

The company has said that the static fire test will verify the readiness of the Falcon 9 rocket and once completed, ORBCOMM'S second OG2 Mission is targeted to launch about three days later, on December 19, between 8pm and 9pm ET.

This will be the first launch for the company since one of its Falcon9 rockets exploded in mid-flight in June during an unmanned cargo mission to the International Space Station.

The launch is also the first for an “upgraded version” of the Falcon 9. “There are a number of improvements in the rocket,” Space News quoted Musk when he spoke at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco. “I think it’s a significantly improved rocket from the last one,” he said.

The upgraded features include increased thrust, an improved stage separation system, and a stretched upper stage that can hold additional propellant.

According to Florida Today, it remains unclear if the launch will take place on Saturday even if the static fire did not occur Wednesday as hoped. The company is expected to attempt an experimental landing of the Falcon 9’s first stage following the launch, but has not confirmed how it plans to do so.