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UPDATE: SpaceX Eyes Satellite Launch, Booster Landing At Sea

spacex-falcon-9

UPDATE: Weather is at 60% "GO" for launch. The window opens at 6:46 PM EST and continues until 8:23 PM EST.

SpaceX plans to launch a communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Wednesday.

The Falcon 9 rocket is sending a satellite into orbit where it will support broadcast and communication services to parts of Asia.

After launch, SpaceX will try to land the used-booster in the Atlantic Ocean...aboard a drone ship named “Of Course I Still Love You.”

SpaceX has yet to successfully land on a barge. The last attempt hit the target but a landing leg failed to lock into place, causing the roughly 200-foot-tall booster to fall over and explode.

The private space company did, however, land a booster at a landing facility at Cape Canaveral last December.

SpaceX says it successfully completed a test-firing of the rocket engine Monday.

Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.