Falcon 9 Dragon Set For Launch Attempt

The SpaceX Falcon 9 will endeavor to launch the Dragon space capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida between 9 a.m. to 12:22 p.m. Wednesday for a 2-Earth orbit demonstration mission with a subsequent capsule splashdown some 3.5 hours later 500-miles west of Mexico in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX President GWYNNE SHOTWELL gives the mission success rate at 70%. NASA-TV will provide launch and mission coverage.

The Falcon-9 booster with the Dragon capsule will be the first attempt by a commercial space launch company to recover a spacecraft re-entering from orbit. The capsule will subsequently be used by NASA to transport cargo to the orbiting International Space Station with future potential of serving as crew transport upon promulgation of safety standards by NASA and the FAA. THE LOS ANGELES TIMES provides more on the historic launch event.

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