Space agencies have recently revealed their Mars mission plans. SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk has admitted that he wants to have 1 million people colonize the red planet within 10 years. However, in order to have humans successfully (and safely) land on Mars, Musk and his company need to address the cause of the Falcon 9 rocket's explosion.
It was reported that the investigation on the crash of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is continuing to develop. The feud between the space company of Elon Musk and its rival, the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, took a strange turn this month when SpaceX officials asked to gain access to the roof of one of ULA's buildings.
Apparently, something suspicious happened during the launch and the officials wanted to check it out. SpaceX captured still images from the video that showed an odd shadow, then a white spot on the roof of a nearby building leased by ULA.
According to Seeking Alpha, a new thesis on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket's explosion showed how the incident had an impact on its client, Iridium. The explosion has already had a negative effect on Iridium's launch schedule.
Iridium needs SpaceX back on the launching pad as soon as possible in order to put up the Iridium NEXT constellation before the existing constellation gets decommissioned. However, it was noted that even if Elon Musk's space company is able to resume launched by December, it may not provide enough time for the new constellation to be put up before the old one comes down.
In its official website, Iridium describes itself as "the world's only truly global mobile satellite communications company." It offers global voice and data communications coverage.
Seeking Alpha added that if SpaceX recognizes that its rockets have a design issue, then it would continue to delay launches for every customer, including Iridium. If it does, however, deem that it is an acceptable risk to fly without fixing the problem, another failure may delay its clients' schedule. Elon Musk's space company also takes the risk of damaging its clients' products, like Iridium's satellites.
