14 DAY TRIAL // Officials at the Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) announce that the upcoming launch of their Falcon 9 medium-lift delivery system has been delayed from Friday to today, January 6. The rocket is carrying a communications satellite for Thailand.
A spokesperson for the company said that there was no reason for concern when it came to the success of the mission, but added that extra safety measures were taken during the time gained by this delay. Additional inspections were also conducted on the Falcon 9 rocket, Emily Shanklin added.
If the rocket does not manage to lift off today, then SpaceX officials can still target launch opportunities throughout this week, from January 8 to January 12. For Tuesday, December 7, a launch is impossible because the tracking station in Bermuda that supports Falcon 9 will be busy tracking another launch.
When it does take off, Falcon 9 will inject the Thaicom 6 communications satellite in a supersynchronous orbit around our planet. The spacecraft is built by Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation, and is meant to provide additional TV channels and improve signal clarity for the Asia-Pacific region, Space reports.