Nearly three months have passed since SpaceX experienced a catastrophic failure on Sept. 1, when an accident occurred as helium was loaded onto its Falcon 9 rocket. As the company has now identified the cause of the accident, it is pressing ahead to try to return to flight before the end of 2016.

It is apparently making progress. On Sunday reddit user codercotton posted images and a short video of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster on Interstate 10 in Arizona, bound for Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California from the company's test facilities in McGregor, Texas. This is the booster for the launch of 10 satellites owned by Iridium, a Virginia-based satellite communications company. Later, Iridium's chief executive, Matt Desch, tweeted, "Stage 1 arriving in California for our launch. Soon, very soon."

A beautiful sight. Stage 1 arriving in California for our launch. Soon, very soon... Rainbow was a nice (and fitting) touch! #IridiumNEXT pic.twitter.com/4hOd7IPKv4 — Matt Desch (@IridiumBoss) November 20, 2016

However it is not certain that Iridium will fly first on SpaceX. Several companies are maneuvering for that high-profile launch, including EchoStar and its own communications satellite. Unlike the Iridium flight, the EchoStar payload will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where preparations are ongoing to Launch Complex 39A to ready it for flight.

An official with SpaceX told Ars on Monday that no definitive decisions have yet been made about the company's return to flight. While the Iridium launch is one option, it is "premature" to say whether it will be the first payload launched. Several factors, including rocket testing and launch pad readiness, remain "up in the air" in terms of determining where and when SpaceX's return to flight will occur.

Any launch in 2016 would represent something of a minor miracle after a total loss of its Falcon 9 rocket and AMOS-6 satellite payload in September. SpaceX identifying the cause, addressing fixes, and then convincing commercial customers and government partners that everything is safe again within just four months would make for a short turnaround in an industry where accident recoveries often take a year, or more.