Today's liftoff — which was pushed back from Jan. 9 because of bad weather and issues with launch-site availability — will also include some action in the downward direction. SpaceX plans to try to land the Falcon 9's first stage on a robotic "drone ship" stationed in the Pacific Ocean, as part of the company's effort to develop fully and rapidly reusable rockets. This is a priority for SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, who has said that such technology will slash the cost of spaceflight and help open the heavens to exploration. <br /> <br />The Sept. 1 explosion, which occurred during a routine prelaunch test of a Falcon 9, destroyed the rocket and the $200 million Amos-6 communications satellite. SpaceX investigators traced the cause of the accident to the failure of a high-pressure helium tank inside the Falcon 9's upper stage. <br /> <br />SpaceX announced earlier this month that it had wrapped up its mishap investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration has accepted the results of the inquiry and has granted SpaceX a launch license that covers the seven liftoffs required to loft the 70 Iridium-NEXT satellites from Vandenberg.
