SpaceDev, Inc (SPDV)

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SPDV's trailblazer bus set to launch

Jumpstart trailblazer ready to go 29th July 30-Jun-08 03:30 pm
http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=43

Firing represents the final major event before launch to orbit.

Hawthorne CA – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully conducted a full launch dress rehearsal and hold down firing of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 vehicle on June 25, 2008 (Marshall Island Time) on Omelek Island, SpaceX’s launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll. This test is the final step before launch of the Falcon 1 rocket.

This marks the first launch pad firing of SpaceX’s new Merlin 1C regeneratively cooled engine, which operated at full power with only the hold-down system restraining the rocket from flight. In the coming weeks, SpaceX will conduct a thorough review of all data prior to the opening of the launch window for flight, which runs from late July through early September.

“We are definitely not tied to the clock for this launch, and we are checking and crosschecking every aspect of the vehicle and ground systems to ensure a successful mission,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “Our primary concerns remain the safety and reliability of our vehicle, and the successful delivery of the Defense Department and NASA satellites to orbit.”

During launch, SpaceX will use the extensive range safety, tracking and telemetry services provided by the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at the United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific. The next launch window opens 29 July and runs through 6 August, followed by one from 29 August to 5 September.

The Falcon 1 will carry the Trailblazer satellite for the Jumpstart Program of the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORS). Additional secondary payloads include an adapter system developed by the government of Malaysia that holds two small NASA satellites.

SpaceX will provide complete launch day coverage and a live webcast of the launch and ascent into orbit.

Details will be announced as the launch date approaches via the SpaceX.com website.