SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the private space company will return to flight as early as December 19th.
In a tweet, Musk said he’s testing the Falcon engines at Cape Canaveral next Wednesday, and a cargo launch about three days after.
It will be SpaceX’s first launch since June, when a Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded about two-minutes after liftoff.
While SpaceX might face pressure to launch in order to generate revenue, Space Florida’s Dale Ketcham says a safety outweighs profit.
"At the end of the day people launch when they feel comfortable, ultimately it’s a technical decision made by technical people who feel their hardware is as safe as they can be," says Ketcham
Musk wants the booster attached to the rocket to return safety to Cape Canaveral, although NASA hasn’t confirmed those plans.
