Falcon 9 Static Test Firing Aborted

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) attempted to test-fire its Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 3, ahead of a planned Dec. 7 launch, but a high-pressure reading triggered an automatic abort a second before ignition. The test was tentatively retargeted for Dec. 4, with no immediate impact to the launch date. The rocket will carry a Dragon cargo capsule on a demonstration mission for NASA. A similar engine abort occurred prior to the successful debut flight of Falcon 9 on June 4. SpaceX is one of two firms NASA is backing under the $500 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services technology development program and a $3.5 billion Cargo Resupply Services program. SpaceX shares the work with Orbital Sciences Corp., which plans to debut its Taurus 4 rocket in a test launch next summer. Pending results of the static engine test, SpaceX intends to launch its second Falcon 9 rocket during a launch period that opens at 9:03 a.m. EST on Dec. 7 and closes at 12:22 p.m. The launch window remains the same during backup opportunities on Dec. 8-9. The purpose of the flight is to put a Dragon capsule into low Earth orbit to test its operational systems, heat shield and Draco maneuvering thrusters. The flight represents the first processing of hypergolic fuels for those thrusters on the launch pad, as well as the first time an FAA-licensed commercial space company has attempted to bring a spacecraft back through Earth’s atmosphere. The flight also will mark SpaceX’s first interaction with the Dragon spacecraft from its newly opened mission control center in Hawthorne, Calif. After as many as four orbits, Dragon is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and parachute into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. SpaceX’s contract with NASA calls for up to three demonstration missions before it starts cargo delivery runs to the station, the first of which is targeted for December 2011. The second Dragon test flight includes a rendezvous with the station, and the third, a docking. Those missions could be combined depending on the Dragon’s performance and pending NASA’s approval.