SpaceX, the space launch company founded by PayPal cofounder Elon Musk, will today make a second attempt at launching what could be described as the first original American liquid fuel launcher in four decades.
BoingBoing reader William Leslie was among many who pointed us to this news, and he says,
In addition to this very impressive rocket system, they are now under contract with NASA to launch a space capsule called "Dragon", which can be used for cargo or up to 7 astronauts.
Link to launch details. The action starts at 4PM Pacific time. A webcast will be available here at T-60 minutes. That's um, 3pm PT for earthlings.
Reader comment: William G M Leslie III says,
Thank you for the mention on today's BoingBoing regarding the SpaceX Demo 2 launch! As you know, the launch was aborted at approximately T-minus 1 minute 20 seconds. However, I think it is a testament to the design of the vehicle and the ancillary systems that it didn't just go "boom," but that the rocket was shut down intact.
Even if the count had reached T-minus 0, the flight software holds the rocket on the pad until it determines that everything is "go." This is one of the very few space vehicles that can be shut-down on the pad safely. In contrast, once the Space Shuttle solid fuel boosters have ignited, it must leave the launch pad.
Mr. Musk has put a lot of effort into making this system the most reliable launcher in the world. I think he is very close to his goal. As for me, I have been a space junkie since the late Gemini era and I love the fact that a fellow software engineer is leading the way in private space flight development.
