The run-up to Flight 4 of SpaceX Falcon 1 appears to proceeding nicely. Scheduled for a late-September launch, the rocket has been rolled out onto its South Pacific launch pad and prepared for launch. Today saw the successful static fire test of the Merlin 1C engines (pictured above), and according to the SpaceX press release, “no major issues came up.” However, after detailed analysis of test data, engineers decided to replace the second stage engine LOX supply line as a precaution. Apparently, Falcon 1 should operate fine without the replacement, but SpaceX will be extra cautious ahead of launch some time over the next couple of days.
For now, the exact launch time is being kept secret, and in light of last month’s Flight 3 failure, Flight 4 will be critical to the future of the private space company. Our hopes are high for the first successful commercial launch very soon…
astroengine.com 