SpaceX Tests Falcon 9 Rocket Ahead Of Dragon Launch For ISS Cargo Mission

For a few days now, SpaceX has been preparing for Feb. 18, when its Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) for its tenth cargo delivery. And as part of the prelaunch trials, the company successfully test-fired the rocket’s thrusters Sunday at launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The test involved firing all nine Merlin engines briefly while the Falcon 9 itself was held down by restraints. The static fire test was meant to generate data which the company’s engineers and technicians will analyze to fine-tune performance parameters.

The wording of the tweet suggests there are likely more of these brief tests coming up in the five days remaining before the scheduled launch, the first for SpaceX from the historic launch pad since it was leased by the company in 2014.

For those unaware, launch complex 39A has a special place in the history of spacefaring because it was from here that the Saturn V rocket, which carried the first men to the moon in 1969, took off. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called it an honor to be allowed to use the same launch pad.

The facilities at the launch pad, which was last used in 2011, have been overhauled by SpaceX and Sunday’s test should give the company proof of not just the readiness of its rocket, but also the smooth functioning of other systems at the pad, such as fueling and telemetry.

If the launch happens as per the schedule, and Falcon 9 takes off 10:01 a.m. EST on Feb. 18, the Dragon supply ship will dock with the ISS Feb. 20.

Since returning to flight Jan. 14 after being out of action for four-and-a-half months following the explosion of a Falcon 9 rocket on nearby launch complex 40, SpaceX has been flying from its launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The flight on Feb. 18 will mark the return of its operations to the East Coast.