PARIS — SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Sept. 13 that Falcon 9 could return to flight this year, although SpaceX has yet to determine what caused the Sept. 1 explosion. “We’re anticipating getting back to flight, being down for about three months, so getting back to flight November, the November timeframe,” Shotwell said during a launch service providers panel discussion at the World Satellite Business Week Conference here.
Falcon 9 exploded on its Cape Canaveral launch pad while the rocket was being loaded with liquid oxygen in preparation for a static fire test SpaceX routinely conducts in the lead up to a launch — in this case, a Sept. 3 launch of the Amos-6 communications satellite. The explosion destroyed Falcon 9 and it’s satellite payload and damaged the launch pad.
