Elon Musk’s Mars Vision at Stake as SpaceX Set to Resume Flights
- Launch set for Jan. 14 would be first since Sept. 1 fireball
- Falcon 9 rocket to carry 10 Iridium communications satellites
Elon Musk Reveals Plan for a City on Mars
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Billionaire Elon Musk’s vision for his Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to carry not just satellites but ultimately humans to Mars is at stake as the rocket maker prepares for its first flight since a fiery launchpad accident four months ago.
The blast, which Musk termed “the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had,” destroyed an Israeli satellite and a SpaceX rocket. Convinced that it pinpointed the mishap’s cause, the company will try again Saturday at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base. At stake: proving to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that it can safely carry astronauts ahead of a manned test flight planned for next year.