--- description: SpaceX will launch another Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 19, the company announced on Thursday title: SpaceX Will Launch Another Falcon 9 Rocket image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2d5c4a0d33d02e3/698874facf40a84b9dc410ab/478969086.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Space](/tag/space/) ## Space Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # SpaceX Will Launch Another Falcon 9 Rocket ## Video: Elon Musk Debuts New Rocket on Twitter [Watch (HLS stream): Elon Musk Debuts New Rocket on Twitter](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/c1EoPRIb.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2014-11-24. He revealed the improved Falcon 9R_ by [Joanna Plucinska](/author/joanna-plucinska/) ## Joanna Plucinska Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 11, 2015 7:51 AM CUT  SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 28, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. After the launch the rocket exploded SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 28, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. After the launch the rocket explodedThe Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images by [Joanna Plucinska](/author/joanna-plucinska/) ## Joanna Plucinska Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 11, 2015 7:51 AM CUT SpaceX will launch another [Falcon 9 rocket](http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-launch-rocket-dec-19-six-months-blast-222126269.html;%5Fylt=AwrC2Q65EWpWKmYA2knQtDMD;%5Fylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-- "undefined") on Dec. 19, the company announced on Thursday. The new rocket is reportedly 30% more powerful and an upgraded version of the model that exploded 2 minutes after launching in late June. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk attributed the launch failure at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 28 to a faulty strut, Agence France-Presse (AFP) adds. This time around, the rocket will transport satellites from U.S. company Orbcomm into low Earth orbit, a company spokesperson told AFP. The new rocket is also designed to facilitate a controlled landing: SpaceX hopes to be able to reuse rockets in the future, [AFP](http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-launch-rocket-dec-19-six-months-blast-222126269.html;%5Fylt=AwrC2Q65EWpWKmYA2knQtDMD;%5Fylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-- "undefined") reports. SpaceX was the first commercial company to send cargo to space after signing a $1.6 billion contract with NASA. \[[_AFP_](http://news.yahoo.com/spacex-launch-rocket-dec-19-six-months-blast-222126269.html;%5Fylt=AwrC2Q65EWpWKmYA2knQtDMD;%5Fylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-- "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4145457/spacex-falcon-rocket-launch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4145457/spacex-falcon-rocket-launch/"},"headline":"SpaceX Will Launch Another Falcon 9 Rocket","datePublished":"2015-12-11T07:51:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:17:43.307Z","description":"The rocket is designed to carry satellites from U.S. company Orbcomm into low-earth orbit","url":"https://time.com/4145457/spacex-falcon-rocket-launch/","keywords":["Space","Elon Musk","Tesla","international space station","satellites","SpaceX"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2d5c4a0d33d02e3/698874facf40a84b9dc410ab/478969086.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joanna Plucinska","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/joanna-plucinska/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2d5c4a0d33d02e3/698874facf40a84b9dc410ab/478969086.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"478969086","caption":"SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off from the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 28, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. After the launch the rocket exploded","creditText":"The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4145457/spacex-falcon-rocket-launch/","name":"SpaceX Will Launch Another Falcon 9 Rocket"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Elon Musk Debuts New Rocket on Twitter","description":"He revealed the improved Falcon 9R","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/c1EoPRIb/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-11-24T16:11:52.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/c1EoPRIb.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4145457/spacex-falcon-rocket-launch/","duration":"PT1M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4145457/spacex-falcon-rocket-launch/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```