UPDATE: SpaceX Went Up And Came Down Landing On Target…It’s A First! (Demo Launch)

[SatNews] A new frontier has been entered as SpaceX conducted a successful launch from Cape Canaveral today. SpaceX’s launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule was successful despite the last minute concerns of cracks found in the Merlin nozzle.The root cause of the two small cracks in the aft end of the second stage engine nozzle extension.  A GN2 vent line caused fluttering of the the thinnest portion of the nozzle extension, creating the cracks.  SpaceX engineers repaired the extension by trimming off the end where the cracks are located and corrected the root cause by diffusing the vent.

From the launch Spacex’s Dragon spacecraft successfully landed on target in the Pacific Ocean 500 miles off the coast of Southern California. SpaceX launched its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 10:43 AM EST from the Air Force Station at Cape Canaveral.  The Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, and landed in the Pacific Ocean shortly after 2:00 PM EST.

This marks the first time a commercial company has successfully recovered a spacecraft reentering from low-Earth orbit.  It is a feat performed by only six nations or government agencies: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.

It is also the first flight under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station.  After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA.  The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal. 

To further validate the commemrative event, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement about SpaceX’s launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule:

“While rocket launches from the Cape are considered a common occurrence, the historic significance of today’s achievement by SpaceX should not be lost.

“This is the first in a new generation of commercial launch systems that will help provide vital support to the International Space Station and may one day carry astronauts into orbit. This successful demonstration flight is an important milestone in meeting the objectives outlined by President Obama and Congress, and shows how government and industry can leverage expertise and resources to foster a new and vibrant space economy.

“These new explorers are to spaceflight what Lindbergh was to commercial aviation.”

Principles in volved and present at the press conference included; Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO; Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President; Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Manager.