Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) continues to prepare their Falcon 9 rocket for its premier launch from Cape Canaveral late this month. Should it be successful, it will herald the beginning of truly private crew-capable space transportation as an industry – a cornerstone of President Obama’s new space initiative.
As of yesterday, SpaceX reports they are in the midst of final testing, and they actually make it sound frustrating. It seems that they’re as impatient for the next stage in commercial spaceflight as the rest of us are.
May is getting pretty crowded at the Cape, so if they can’t get by the preflight tests and system certifications quickly enough, they’ll have to wait until June.
The restlessness is at least doubled by the fact that resting on the success of this test flight is the next launch, which will be the first officially conducted under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Program. Falcon 9 Flight 2 will carry SpaceX’s first fully-operational Dragon spacecraft to orbit and is scheduled for a few months after Flight 1.
-If they can get past the blasted pre-flight tests, that is.
We’re with you, SpaceX. Tell the guys on deck to hurry up.
Chronicles of an Atomic Astrowright 
One thought on “SpaceX’s Falcon 9 fired up for late May launch”