Space X, a private company hoping – with reason – to be the first to launch a commercial rocket into orbit, test-fired their new Merlin 1C engine yesterday. The cool thing: it’s on the rocket, and the rocket is on the pad! The only thing that prevented liftoff was a restraining arm holding the rocket in place.
The launch window for this flight runs from July through September, and it will be the third attempt for Space X. The first rocket was lost shortly after liftoff, and the second just barely didn’t make it to orbit. This one looks pretty good. It will launch from Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll in the pacific ocean. The rocket, called a Falcon 1, will carry a Department of Defense Trailblazer satellite.
