spacetoday.net: Next Falcon 9 launch slips one day

Posted: Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 5:37 PM ET (2137 GMT)
Falcon 9 v1.1 launch of AsiaSat 8 (AsiaSat)

SpaceX has delayed its next Falcon 9 launch one day, to just after midnight Wednesday, to allow more time to ensure there are no links to the loss of a test vehicle on Friday. The launch of the AsiaSat 6 satellite on a Falcon 9 v1.1 is now scheduled for 12:50 am EDT (0450 GMT) Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, one day later than previously announced. The delay, the company said, allows them to confirm there is nothing about Friday's loss of a F9R-Dev test article during a flight in Texas that would affect the operational Falcon 9. The F9R-Dev suffered an anomaly during a test flight that triggered a flight termination system, resulting in the vehicle's destruction. The F9R is designed to test technologies for future reusable versions of the Falcon 9. While SpaceX has also done reusability tests on some Falcon 9 launches, none are planned for this mission in order to maximize the vehicle's payload capacity.