SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch: Aerospace Company Could Have Doubleheader Weekend
SpaceX could be looking at a doubleheader this weekend with two Falcon 9 rockets launching within 48 hours of each other.
The space transport services company was scheduled to launch a Bulgarian television broadcast satellite from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Monday, June 19. However, the liftoff was delayed.
According to a Twitter post from CEO Elon Musk, the postponed launch of BulgariaSat-1 was in order to replace a failing pneumatic valve.
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"It is dual redundant, but not worth taking a chance," he further explained.
SpaceX revealed that the next launch opportunities for BulgariaSat-1 will be on Friday, June 23, or Saturday, June 24. Both dates will have a two-hour launch window that begins at 2:10 p.m. EDT.
If the new launch schedule for the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Bulgarian satellite holds up, then the aerospace company is looking at a potential "weekend doubleheader." This is because Space X has another Falcon 9 launch scheduled for Sunday, June 25, at around 4:25 p.m. EDT.
According to Futurism, the payload for the Falcon 9 rocket launching on Sunday will be from Iridium, a telecommunications company for which SpaceX already launched 10 low-Earth orbit satellites for back in January. The Falcon 9 rocket with Iridium satellites is scheduled to launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Launch Complex 4 located near Lompoc, California.
If both rockets receive the go signal to launch on their respective schedules, then SpaceX will be looking at consecutive launches happening within 48 hours of each other.
The success of the expected double launches this weekend will, no doubt, boost the reputation of the aerospace company. It can be remembered that SpaceX encountered a setback in September 2016, after the explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket halted the operations of the company.
By 2017, the company had announced plans for an aggressive schedule with a launch happening every two to three weeks. Now, it's possible that SpaceX will have an even faster launch schedule with the upcoming weekend doubleheader.
