Xtra News Community 2
March 29, 2024, 11:17:08 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Welcome to Xtra News Community 2 — please also join our XNC2-BACKUP-GROUP.
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links BITEBACK! XNC2-BACKUP-GROUP Staff List Login Register  

SpaceX

Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: SpaceX  (Read 554 times)
0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
Kiwithrottlejockey
Admin Staff
XNC2 GOD
*
Posts: 32233


Having fun in the hills!


« on: May 23, 2012, 01:46:29 am »


From the Los Angeles Times....

SpaceX launches historic mission to space station

By W.J. HENNIGAN | 1:00AM - Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, embarking on its mission to the International Space Station. — Photo: NASA/May 22, 2012.
Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, embarking on its mission
to the International Space Station. — NASA/May 22, 2012.


SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket roared to life before dawn at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and blasted into space on a column of fire that lit the night sky for miles around.

The nine-engine rocket lifted off at 3:44 a.m. EDT carrying a cone-shaped space capsule that's set to berth with the International Space Station later this week.

SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, is the first private company to ever embark on such a mission. Up until now, sending a spacecraft to the space station has been a feat that has only been accomplished by four of the world's wealthiest and most technologically advanced governments: the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Union.

The launch marked a major milestone in efforts to shift spacecraft development —  long dominated by governments and large, entrenched aerospace firms — to privately funded firms like SpaceX that so far have been funding their ventures largely on their own.

About 10 minutes into the spaceflight, SpaceX confirmed that its gleaming, white Falcon 9 rocket had lifted the unmanned Dragon space capsule into orbit. The craft is now making its way to the space station for docking — which is no guarantee because of the tremendous difficulties involved — but could happen as early as Friday.

SpaceX's much-anticipated mission is considered the first test of NASA's plan to outsource space missions to privately funded companies now that its fleet of space shuttles is retired.

The Hawthorne-based company intends to prove to NASA that its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule are ready to take on the task of hauling cargo — and eventually astronauts — for the space agency.


STAGE 1: LAUNCH.
STAGE 1: LAUNCH.

STAGE 2: SEPARATION.
STAGE 2: SEPARATION.

POWER UP.
POWER UP.

MANEUVERS.
MANEUVERS.

DOCKING.
DOCKING.

RETURN TO EARTH.
RETURN TO EARTH.

THE DRAGON SPACECRAFT.
THE DRAGON SPACECRAFT.

Even though the current mission is classified as a test flight, the Dragon capsule is carrying about half a ton of food and other supplies for the crew aboard the station.

The company, with about 1,800 employees, already has a $1.6-billion contract to haul cargo in 12 flights to the space station for NASA. If the current mission is successful, SpaceX will begin fulfilling the contract later this year.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Los Angeles billionaire Elon Musk. The company makes its Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket at a sprawling facility in Hawthorne that once was used to assemble fuselage sections for Boeing 747s.


______________________________________

Related stories:

  • A new frontier for space travel

  • SpaceX's historic launch to space station scrubbed at last second

  • SpaceX docking mission is again delayed
]

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-spacex-launch-space-station-20120521,0,4066674.story
Report Spam   Logged

If you aren't living life on the edge, you're taking up too much space! 

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter


Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Open XNC2 Smileys
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum


Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy
Page created in 0.031 seconds with 13 queries.