Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) scrubbed the inaugural launch of its Falcon 1 rocket Dec. 19 due to a structural issue with the first stage fuel tank and does not expect to perform the mission until late January at the earliest, the company announced

“Consistent with our policy, we must be 100 percent green for launch with no outstanding concerns whatsoever,” the company said on its Web site. “It is not just a matter of repairing the damage but also understanding at a fundamental level how to ensure it never happens again. SpaceX will also do another full review of all the vehicle systems, including propulsion, structures, avionics, software and ground support systems.”

A Nov. 19 launch attempt was scrubbed because an auxiliary liquid oxygen fill tank that had a manual vent valve incorrectly set to vent.

The mission, which will take place from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, will carry Falconsat-2 into orbit. The spacecraft, part of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s satellite program, will measure space plasma phenomena, which can adversely affect space-based communications, including GPS and other civil and military communications.