SpaceX is preparing for the Feb. 24 launch of the SES-9 commercial communications satellite atop a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. But a successful recovery of the rocket's first stage is unlikely.
SpaceX is ready to launch the SES-9 commercial communications satellite for Luxembourg fleet operator SES on Feb. 24. But the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company will not attempt a land-based recovery of the Falcon 9 core stage, owing to performance requirements needed to get the 5,330-kg spacecraft to geosynchronous orbit in the first quarter of this year.
SpaceX is targeting an evening launch of SES-9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral AFS in Florida. The approximately 90-minute launch window opens at 6:46:14 p.m. eastern, with a backup launch window opening at 6:46:17 p.m. Feb. 25.
