From the historic launchpad used for the first moon-landing mission.
After a minor setback on Saturday
causing SpaceX to cancel its rocket launch 13 seconds before liftoff,
Elon Musk’s aerospace company successfully sent its Falcon 9 into space
this morning. Musk posted on Twitter that while the original mission was
considered to be 99% fine on the readings, it wasn’t worth the slight
risk, which resulted in an extra day to address any technical issues.
The privately-owned rocket was sent to the International Space Station carrying a Dragon cargo ship with 5,5000 pounds of supplies, and is expected to land on Wednesday. The event marks the Kennedy Space Center’s first commercial launch since SpaceX leased some of its facilities that were no longer being used by NASA. Launchpad 39A holds historic significance as home of the last shuttle mission in 2011, along with the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission which resulted in the first moon landing. SpaceX and Boeing are also planning on using the Kennedy to begin astronaut missions starting in 2018.
The privately-owned rocket was sent to the International Space Station carrying a Dragon cargo ship with 5,5000 pounds of supplies, and is expected to land on Wednesday. The event marks the Kennedy Space Center’s first commercial launch since SpaceX leased some of its facilities that were no longer being used by NASA. Launchpad 39A holds historic significance as home of the last shuttle mission in 2011, along with the groundbreaking Apollo 11 mission which resulted in the first moon landing. SpaceX and Boeing are also planning on using the Kennedy to begin astronaut missions starting in 2018.
SourceThe New York Times
PhotographerJOE SKIPPER / REUTERS
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