Falcon 9 on the Launch Pad
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket—which the company hopes will usher in a new era of lower-cost commercial space travel—has arrived at its launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida.Engineers are checking out the vehicle’s fuel, liquid oxygen, and gas pressure systems. Once they pass muster, the launch team will…
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket—which the company hopes will usher in a new era of lower-cost commercial space travel—has arrived at its launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Engineers are checking out the vehicle's fuel, liquid oxygen, and gas pressure systems. Once they pass muster, the launch team will do a tanking test followed by a brief static fire of the first stage, according to SpaceX. No date has been set for the inaugural launch, but CEO Elon Musk told Spaceflight Now not to expect it before late April at the earliest.