Space Exploration Technologies has released the following statement, read the rest in the extended portion of this blog
Hawthorne, CA (April 20, 2009) - Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB's RazakSAT satellite
While both the Falcon 1 vehicle and satellite passed all preliminary checkouts and are cleared for launch, a concern has been identified regarding the potential impact of predicted vehicle environments on the satellite. Based on these concerns, the SpaceX team is evaluating options to minimize this impact and ensure mission success.
"SpaceX is committed to the safety and success of our customer's payloads," said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. "Our engineers are addressing this issue and we look forward to launching RazakSAT once the issue is fully understood and resolved."
"Both teams are confident the issue will be resolved," said Dr. Ahmad Sabirin, CEO of ATSB. "We are all looking forward to a successful launch."
Updates and information regarding a new launch date will be available on
www.SpaceX.com.
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on April 20, 2009 11:44 AM | Reply
Musk is getting the hang of it. Same sh.. everywhere. You could get rich by betting on postponements of launches. No wonder the NASA safety panel doesn't give much credence to COTS.