Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is set for Wednesday’s SES mission.
The launch window for SES-9 will open at 6:46 p.m. EST. Launch will take place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on a Falcon 9 rocket. Thursday is the backup date.
Following stage separation, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will attempt an experimental landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship. SpaceX said given this mission’s unique Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) profile, a successful landing is not expected.
The mission was originally planned for late 2015. SES said in a February 8 statement that in order to minimize the impact of moving the launch, SpaceX supported a mission modification. The changed mission will reduce the time needed for SES-9 to reach its orbital slot, keeping the operational service date in the third quarter of 2016, as previously foreseen.
SES-9 was built by Boeing [BA].