Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) performed the first firing of its Falcon 9-R advanced prototype rocket, company founder Elon Musk said Sunday on
Twitter.
 |
| SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off in March. Photo: SpaceX. |
Musk said over one million pounds of thrust was created during the test fire, enough to lift a skyscraper. SpaceX has been working on upgrading its Falcon 9 two-stage, medium-class, liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene (RP-1) powered launch vehicle.
Musk said in March Falcon 9-R would be ready for the company’s third trip to the International Space Station (ISS) this fall. He described Falcon 9-R’s advances as “fairly significant” upgrades on the vehicle side with improved performance and reliability and that the new Falcon 9’s design could potentially raise Dragon’s useful payload by several tons. Dragon is the company’s free-flying, reusable spacecraft developed under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
Musk had said he hopes to unveil what Falcon 9-R looks like later this year (Defense Daily, March 29).