Fri, Oct 23, 2009
Preparing For Shipment To Cape Canaveral For First Flight
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully conducted
two static firings of the first stage, nine engine cluster for its
Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The firings took place at SpaceX’s
Texas Test Site, a 300-acre structural and propulsion testing
facility just outside of Waco, Texas. With completion of these
tests, the first stage has now passed both structural and
propulsion acceptance testing and will ship to Cape Canaveral in
preparation for the first flight of Falcon 9.
The first test fired for 10 seconds and occurred on October 12th
at approximately 1930 CDT. The second test began around 1630 CDT on
October 16th, and lasted 30 seconds.
The first stage of Falcon 9 uses a cluster of nine
SpaceX-designed and developed Merlin engines. Using rocket-grade
kerosene and liquid oxygen, the cluster generates nearly a million
pounds of thrust for the vehicle upon liftoff. The Merlin engine is
one of the only liquid rocket engines designed in the United States
in the last few decades, and is now among the highest performing
gas generator cycle kerosene engines ever built, exceeding the
Boeing Delta II main engine, the Lockheed Martin Atlas II main
engine, and on par with the Saturn V F-1 engine.
The stage will ship to SpaceX’s launch site at Cape
Canaveral next month to begin vehicle integration in preparation
for first flight. The inaugural flight of Falcon 9 will be a
demonstration flight and will launch a Dragon spacecraft
qualification unit into orbit to provide SpaceX with valuable
aerodynamic and performance information.
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