Falcon 1 To Launch?: The troubled Falcon 1 rocket is set to make a third try at a launch in early February, carrying a satellite designed by US Air Force Academy cadets. Internet mogul turned aerospace entrepreneur Elon Musk tells Florida Today that the rocket, built by his SpaceX rocket firm, will have a new first stage installed after a faulty valve caused a fuel tank on the first stage to buckle when engineers decided to drain it before a December launch attempt. Falcon 1 now is scheduled to launch Feb. 8 from the Marshall Islands.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
