SpaceX launches next gen Falcon 9 rocket

PanARMENIAN.Net - Commercial space company SpaceX had a successful launch of its next generation Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Station in California on Sunday, Sept 29, Forbes reported.

On top of the rocket is the Canadian Space Agencies CASSIOPE satellite. The goal of the satellite is to better understand “space weather” – the impact of cosmic and solar radiation on the Earth. This is a commercial milestone for the company, as CASSIPOE is the first satellite the company has launched with the Falcon 9. (Previous satellite launches were completed with the company’s Falcon 1 rocket.)

The upgraded Falcon 9 has engines 60% more powerful than the previous version, which has successfully sent missions to the International Space Station. It also features other upgrades, such as longer fuel tanks, and the engines are arranged in such a way that if one fails, it shouldn’t affect the others.

The new Falcon 9 design is also being designed with an eye towards reusability. SpaceX has been testing its “Grasshopper” – a model first stage, reusable rocket that’s capable of launching into the sky then returning with a controlled burn to Earth. Ultimately, SpaceX aims to make the Falcon 9 a reusable rocket, which could potentially save the company a substantial amount of money on its launches.

The upgraded Falcon 9 in Sunday’s launch featured the ability to restart the engines of its two stages, something that the company decided to test during the launch. Although the tests didn’t perform perfectly, the company gathered a lot of the data it thinks it needs to make Falcon 9 reusable.

“Between this flight & Grasshopper tests, I think we now have all the pieces of the puzzle to bring the rocket back home,” CEO Elon Musk tweeted.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has four more missions before the close of 2013, including another trip with its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station.