A Falcon 9 rocket managed by private developer SpaceX will be launched into orbit on its third major test.
The launch system is equipped with a booster rocket designed to be capable of landing vertically. However, this primary stage crashed during both of the first two tests, exploding in massive fireballs.
The Falcon 9 booster, encompassing most of the launch system, is designed to land on a floating platform stationed off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. If all goes according to plan, the Dragon space capsule launched aboard the rocket will enter orbit around the Earth attached to the rocket's second stage.
Launch is currently scheduled for June 28, and the weather forecast for Florida on that date is looking favorable for liftoff. Pre-flight tests of the rocket included tests of the main engine.
"Rocket completed hold down firing today in advance of Sunday cargo mission to @Space_Station," SpaceX tweeted.
Despite the results of the first two tests, SpaceX remains the private space developer closest to developing a reusable rocket. A heavy version of the Falcon 9 is also in development, which could carry astronauts, possibly as far as to Mars.
"A jumbo jet costs about the same as one of our Falcon 9 rockets, but airlines don't junk a plane after a one-way trip from LA to New York. Yet when it comes to space travel, rockets fly only once — even though the rocket itself represents the majority of launch cost," SpaceX officials report.
Although the now-retired space shuttles were designed to be reusable, the external fuel tank was disposed with each flight. The solid rocket boosters that provided much of the thrust to lift the vehicle to orbit landed in the corrosive salt water of the ocean and needed to be recovered at significant cost.
As the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket came in for a landing during the first test flight in January, the booster ran out of hydraulic fluid. This prevented controllers from being able to steer the vehicle to a safe landing, resulting in an explosive ending. SpaceX officials attempted to fix this problem by loading more of the critical fluid into the vehicle for the next flight in April. However, that landing also failed when an engine failed to throttle down, tipping the booster over, causing the vehicle to explode upon touchdown.
The launch and highlights of the flight will be simulcast on the SpaceX website, allowing viewers to witness the flight as it takes place.
