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| Elon Musk’s SpaceX Launches Rocket Carrying Space Station Cargo | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Engines ignited and a rocket lifted off here on Sunday, for the first time since the last space shuttle launch five and a half years ago. | KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Engines ignited and a rocket lifted off here on Sunday, for the first time since the last space shuttle launch five and a half years ago. |
| A Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation — SpaceX — was launched, quickly disappearing into a low cloud deck, with 5,500 pounds of supplies, experiments and other cargo headed to the International Space Station. | A Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation — SpaceX — was launched, quickly disappearing into a low cloud deck, with 5,500 pounds of supplies, experiments and other cargo headed to the International Space Station. |
| The Dragon cargo capsule is to arrive at the station on Wednesday. A robotic arm will grab the capsule and take it to one of the docking ports. | The Dragon cargo capsule is to arrive at the station on Wednesday. A robotic arm will grab the capsule and take it to one of the docking ports. |
| SpaceX was again able to recover the booster stage. As the second stage ignited to push the cargo capsule to orbit, the booster turned around back toward land. Eight minutes after it left the ground, it set down on a landing site a few miles away. | SpaceX was again able to recover the booster stage. As the second stage ignited to push the cargo capsule to orbit, the booster turned around back toward land. Eight minutes after it left the ground, it set down on a landing site a few miles away. |
| The success was another step in the recovery of SpaceX from a major setback last September when one of its rockets caught fire and exploded on a launchpad at the adjoining Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. | The success was another step in the recovery of SpaceX from a major setback last September when one of its rockets caught fire and exploded on a launchpad at the adjoining Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. |
| A launch attempt on Saturday was called off with 13 seconds left because of what Mr. Musk described as “slightly odd” readings with a steering mechanism on the second stage. | A launch attempt on Saturday was called off with 13 seconds left because of what Mr. Musk described as “slightly odd” readings with a steering mechanism on the second stage. |
| In response to a question posted on Twitter by a MSNBC producer, Mr. Musk said that he called off the launch to take a closer look to make sure the readings were not a sign of a more significant, undetected problem. | In response to a question posted on Twitter by a MSNBC producer, Mr. Musk said that he called off the launch to take a closer look to make sure the readings were not a sign of a more significant, undetected problem. |
| In another post, Mr. Musk wrote, “1% chance isn’t worth rolling the dice. Better to wait a day.” | In another post, Mr. Musk wrote, “1% chance isn’t worth rolling the dice. Better to wait a day.” |
| Overnight, SpaceX technicians swapped out a part that appeared to cause the problem. | Overnight, SpaceX technicians swapped out a part that appeared to cause the problem. |
| SpaceX hopes to catch up on its jammed schedule, which was delayed after the explosion. It plans to launch a used rocket — one of the recovered boosters — this spring. The next cargo mission for NASA is to be the first to reuse a capsule from a previous flight. The launch of the Falcon Heavy, a larger rocket years behind schedule, is aimed for summer. And by the end of the year, the company wants to test a rocket and capsule that is to lead to ferrying astronauts to the space station. | SpaceX hopes to catch up on its jammed schedule, which was delayed after the explosion. It plans to launch a used rocket — one of the recovered boosters — this spring. The next cargo mission for NASA is to be the first to reuse a capsule from a previous flight. The launch of the Falcon Heavy, a larger rocket years behind schedule, is aimed for summer. And by the end of the year, the company wants to test a rocket and capsule that is to lead to ferrying astronauts to the space station. |
| Beyond the resumption of SpaceX’s space station deliveries, Sunday’s launch also marked a transition of the Kennedy Space Center toward private use of the facilities. | Beyond the resumption of SpaceX’s space station deliveries, Sunday’s launch also marked a transition of the Kennedy Space Center toward private use of the facilities. |
| In 2014, SpaceX took over a former space shuttle launchpad that NASA no longer needed. “This pad would have just sat here and rusted away in the salt air had we not had the use agreement with SpaceX,” Robert D. Cabana, the space center director, said at a news conference in front of the launchpad on Friday. “What an awesome use of a great American asset.” | In 2014, SpaceX took over a former space shuttle launchpad that NASA no longer needed. “This pad would have just sat here and rusted away in the salt air had we not had the use agreement with SpaceX,” Robert D. Cabana, the space center director, said at a news conference in front of the launchpad on Friday. “What an awesome use of a great American asset.” |
| Launchpad 39A was where the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on July 8, 2011, on the last shuttle mission, and was home to the first shuttle launch in 1981. It was also the starting point for all but one of the manned Apollo missions, including Apollo 11, the first moon landing, in 1969. | Launchpad 39A was where the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on July 8, 2011, on the last shuttle mission, and was home to the first shuttle launch in 1981. It was also the starting point for all but one of the manned Apollo missions, including Apollo 11, the first moon landing, in 1969. |
| The cancellation by the Obama administration of Constellation, a program intended to send astronauts back to the moon, led many to wonder whether the Kennedy Space Center had much of a future. The revised vision for NASA, unveiled in early 2010, called for a five-year hiatus in rocket development to allow investment in innovative but unready technologies — and nothing on the horizon to launch from Kennedy. (Launching continued at Cape Canaveral.) | The cancellation by the Obama administration of Constellation, a program intended to send astronauts back to the moon, led many to wonder whether the Kennedy Space Center had much of a future. The revised vision for NASA, unveiled in early 2010, called for a five-year hiatus in rocket development to allow investment in innovative but unready technologies — and nothing on the horizon to launch from Kennedy. (Launching continued at Cape Canaveral.) |
| Mr. Cabana recast Kennedy from a center dedicated to launching NASA rockets to what he described a “multiuser spaceport.” | Mr. Cabana recast Kennedy from a center dedicated to launching NASA rockets to what he described a “multiuser spaceport.” |
| Congress pushed the Obama administration to revive aspects of Constellation. Two months after the last space shuttle mission, NASA announced the Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket that would take astronauts on deep space missions and eventually to Mars. | Congress pushed the Obama administration to revive aspects of Constellation. Two months after the last space shuttle mission, NASA announced the Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket that would take astronauts on deep space missions and eventually to Mars. |
| While the cancellation of Constellation battered Kennedy, another shift in NASA direction — turning over the launching of space station astronauts to private companies — opened possibilities. SpaceX and Boeing won the NASA contracts. Boeing is now building its CST-100 Starliner in a Kennedy building once used for refurbishing space shuttles. | While the cancellation of Constellation battered Kennedy, another shift in NASA direction — turning over the launching of space station astronauts to private companies — opened possibilities. SpaceX and Boeing won the NASA contracts. Boeing is now building its CST-100 Starliner in a Kennedy building once used for refurbishing space shuttles. |
| SpaceX and Boeing are scheduled to launch the first astronaut missions in 2018, although a report released Thursday by the federal Government Accountability Office concluded that remaining technical obstacles would cause the launches, already a year late, to slip into 2019. For SpaceX, issues included cracks in the turbine blades of the engines. | SpaceX and Boeing are scheduled to launch the first astronaut missions in 2018, although a report released Thursday by the federal Government Accountability Office concluded that remaining technical obstacles would cause the launches, already a year late, to slip into 2019. For SpaceX, issues included cracks in the turbine blades of the engines. |
| At the Friday news conference, Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, said she remained confident in the schedule. The response of company officials was, “The hell we won’t fly before 2019!” | At the Friday news conference, Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, said she remained confident in the schedule. The response of company officials was, “The hell we won’t fly before 2019!” |
| Ms. Shotwell said the cracks were long known and represented an acceptable risk for current satellite and cargo missions. She said the company had incorporated a fix in the next upgrade of the Falcon 9 rocket, which is to fly later this year. | Ms. Shotwell said the cracks were long known and represented an acceptable risk for current satellite and cargo missions. She said the company had incorporated a fix in the next upgrade of the Falcon 9 rocket, which is to fly later this year. |
| On Twitter, Mr. Musk said, “I feel very confident of 2018.” | On Twitter, Mr. Musk said, “I feel very confident of 2018.” |
| Sierra Nevada, one of the companies that lost the astronaut competition but which has since been selected for carrying cargo to the space station, has also opened up shop at Kennedy Space Center as has Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Moon Express, a start-up company seeking to send robotic landers to the moon. | Sierra Nevada, one of the companies that lost the astronaut competition but which has since been selected for carrying cargo to the space station, has also opened up shop at Kennedy Space Center as has Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Moon Express, a start-up company seeking to send robotic landers to the moon. |
| However, NASA still had no use for launchpad 39A or many of the other buildings that had been used for the space shuttle program. The other former shuttle pad, 39B, is sufficient to handle up to three Space Launch System launches a year, Mr. Cabana said. Currently, NASA envisions a pace of one launch every one or two years. | However, NASA still had no use for launchpad 39A or many of the other buildings that had been used for the space shuttle program. The other former shuttle pad, 39B, is sufficient to handle up to three Space Launch System launches a year, Mr. Cabana said. Currently, NASA envisions a pace of one launch every one or two years. |
| With its lease, SpaceX dismantled some of the shuttle infrastructure, built a large hangar for storing its rockets and refurbished the pad to handle the Falcon 9, the Falcon Heavy and NASA astronaut launches. | With its lease, SpaceX dismantled some of the shuttle infrastructure, built a large hangar for storing its rockets and refurbished the pad to handle the Falcon 9, the Falcon Heavy and NASA astronaut launches. |
| “We want to see more launches, government and commercial, off all these pads,” Mr. Cabana said. | “We want to see more launches, government and commercial, off all these pads,” Mr. Cabana said. |
| The rocket launched Sunday carried Sage III, an instrument to be installed on the space station to measure levels of ozone, aerosols and dust in the Earth’s atmosphere for at least three years. It is latest in a series of instruments that have made similar measurements since the late 1970s. | The rocket launched Sunday carried Sage III, an instrument to be installed on the space station to measure levels of ozone, aerosols and dust in the Earth’s atmosphere for at least three years. It is latest in a series of instruments that have made similar measurements since the late 1970s. |
| Another instrument will track lightning. The cargo capsule is also carrying a demonstration project to test autopilot navigation technologies for eventual use by robotic spacecraft to repair satellites. | Another instrument will track lightning. The cargo capsule is also carrying a demonstration project to test autopilot navigation technologies for eventual use by robotic spacecraft to repair satellites. |
| With the successful launch from Kennedy, SpaceX will now work to bring the launchpad damaged in September back into operation this summer. As SpaceX wraps up development of its Falcon rockets, Ms. Shotwell said, in about a year, the company will shift its attention to Mr. Musk’s dream of a spacecraft for taking people to Mars. | With the successful launch from Kennedy, SpaceX will now work to bring the launchpad damaged in September back into operation this summer. As SpaceX wraps up development of its Falcon rockets, Ms. Shotwell said, in about a year, the company will shift its attention to Mr. Musk’s dream of a spacecraft for taking people to Mars. |
| Plans for sending a Dragon capsule with instruments but no people to land on Mars have slipped to 2020 from 2018, Ms. Shotwell said. | Plans for sending a Dragon capsule with instruments but no people to land on Mars have slipped to 2020 from 2018, Ms. Shotwell said. |