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SpaceX Set To Conduct Falcon 9 Launch And Land Test On Sunday; Will Drop Off Satellite Before Attempting To Land At Sea [LIVESTREAM]

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SpaceX is set to launch a commercial communications satellite on Sunday, which the aerospace company will use the opportunity to attempt another rocket landing at a sea-base.

The American aerospace manufacturing company have set the date and time to be on Sunday at 1:26 A.M. EDT. The rocket to be used will be the Falcon 9 model, and its cargo is set to be the JCSAT-16 satellite, Space.com reported.

The launch site would be at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX has allowed the press to cover the launch, wherein a livestream is scheduled on YouTube during the entire launch. The stream can also be viewed on the company website.

Spectators should expect that at about the 9-minute mark, the Falcon 9 rocket would initiate its first-stage decoupling, which is going to attempt a soft landing onto a "drone ship" located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

The primary objective of the Falcon 9 is to launch the commercial satellite, JCSAT-16, onto the Earth's orbit. Its secondary objective would be conducting a launch and land test, which greatly benefits SpaceX's bid to develop reusable rockets to significantly cut costs in space exploration.

SpaceX chief executive, Elon Musk, had stated that this is beneficial to humankind's effort in space exploration. The company founder is keen on bringing humans to space, with Mars as their first destination, Spaceflight Insider reported.

The aerospace manufacturing company has set its eyes on a 2024 deadline to bring humans onto the Red Planet. NASA is currently developing a deep-space habitat, which is expected to make its debut on the Mars mission, as well.

The Sunday launch would mark SpaceX's eighth mission for 2016. The company's main concern is to bring the satellite aloft and concentrate on conducting the soft landing, while the JSAT telecommunications firm is set to take over the controls of the JCSAT-16 satellite upon decoupling from Falcon-9.

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