Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: SpaceX will attempt the first orbital launch of 2015 Tuesday morning to re-supply cargo to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The California-based private spaceflight company will do something unusual in this mission, as this time it aims for a vertical test landing of a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, topped by a Dragon capsule that's loaded with essential supplies on a barge in the Atlantic. After the booster falls away and the second stage continues pushing the payload to orbit, its engines will re-ignite to turn it around and guide it to a spot about 200 miles east of Jacksonville, Fla.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk predicts a 50-50 chance of success at best. He says flying back boosters would allow them to be reused and save money.
One can watch the SpaceX launch live on www.spacex.com beginning Tuesday, January 6, 2015 4:30 PM IST and 5:00 AM EST (1000 GMT).
(With Agency inputs)
