SpaceX Will Launch Another Falcon 9 Rocket

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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

SpaceX will launch another Falcon 9 rocket 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 reports.

SpaceX was the first commercial company to send cargo to space after signing a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

[AFP]

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