Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies has set a time - 4PM EST on November 25th - for the first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket.
The rocket will be launching the FalconSat 2, a satellite that will monitor other satellites such as GPS and communications satellites to determine if their orbits are affected by space plasma. The FalconSat 2 was built by students under a program jointly run by the US Air Force and DARPA.
The launch will occur from the launchpad on Omelek Island and be controlled from the launch control center at nearby Kwajalein Atoll in the western Pacific; local time for the launch will be 9AM on November 26th.Update: Rand Simberg was at the press conference, and links to Michael Belfiore's and Clark Lindsey's reports. And Clark helpfully linked to SpaceX's press release.
Update 2: Back Off, Government explains why this launch is so important:
"...maybe, just maybe, the only way to get regular people into space is if private small companies get involved and compete. Say create a free market in space? Like a market for space tourism? I think so.
So the reason why this flight is so important, is that space nutsos like Elon Munsk are doing just that. He's created his own company, and built rockets that have launch costs at a fraction of what the big government money addicted big guys have been selling. This flight, if successful, will mean that the little Elon did it."
Update 3: One of the Colorado Satellite Services guys working with SpaceX at Omelek, Jim White, is blogging the preparations for launch. (a tip o' the hat to Dan Schrimpsher)
Technorati Tags: Space
No comments:
Post a Comment