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Snapshot
October 22, 2009
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Nine On Fire
The first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is shown during one of two static firings, October 12th and 16th, 2009, at the company's 300-acre test facility outside Waco, Texas. The first test lasted 10 seconds, the second 30 seconds, and together they completed both structural and propulsion acceptance testing for the first stage, which will now ship to Cape Canaveral to prepare for the rocket's first flight before the end of the year. Falcon 9's first stage is powered by nine engines fed by liquid oxygen and kerosene, which together generate almost a million pounds of thrust. The vehicle is scheduled to deliver cargo to the International Space Station in 2011, and will eventually deliver humans there too.
Photo: SpaceX
