Space X Falcon 9 v1.1 fires its engines for the first time.

Falcon 9v1.1 Roll out.

SpaceX has conducted their first hot fire test of the Falcon 9v1.1 a.k.a Falcon 9 Reusable (F9-R). During a hot fire or static fire test all crucial systems are enabled and the rocket is fully fueled and fully prepared for launch, sort of a dress rehearsal if you will. Engines are fired and throttled to full power for a few seconds before an abort command is issued to shut them down. All this while the rocket remains firmly bolted to the pad. By doing this, engineers can collect performance data on all the rockets vital systems to determine whether or not the rocket is ready for its mission. This is all in preparation for the launch of the CASSIOPE satellite, the first passenger to ride the F9-R to orbit. The launch which was scheduled for September 15^th has slipped unfortunately and SpaceX has yet to confirm a new launch date.

Business end of the F9-R

The F9-R sports a stretched first stage that will eventually become the core stage of the Falcon Heavy and as the name suggests, is the first steps towards creating a fully reusable rocket. Future incarnations of the F9-R will sport landing legs and will have the ability to return safely to earth after each launch. SpaceX is already hard at work on this endeavor. The first stage is powered by 9 upgraded merlin 1D engines arranged in an octagonal pattern (octaweb) with a single centrally mounted engine. The Merlin 1D engines are a significant step above the older Merlin 1C. Not only are they more powerful providing 147,000 lbf when compared to 94,000 lbf of the 1C, the Merlin 1D also has the highest thrust to weight ratio ever achieved by a rocket engine. The manufacturing process has also been optimized meaning lower manufacturing costs in the long run. The first flight of F9-R will also see the introduction of a payload fairing. A payload fairing is simply a shell made of composite materials that protect payloads whether it be a satellite or a space probe during the accent through the densest part of the earth’s atmosphere after which the fairing is jettisoned so that the payload can be released into orbit. Since all previous launches took the Dragon capsule to orbit, no fairing was needed. A fairing however will be crucial as it is needed to protect the delicate instruments on the CASSIOPE satellite during the climb to orbit.

SpaceX has a lot riding on the F9-R as this may be potentially the most challenging launch in the company’s history. The F9-R incorporates the most technological changes since the introduction of the block 1 Falcon 9 back in 2010. When you have so many new modifications all debuting at the same time, the risk of failure is significantly higher! However the Falcon 9 has proven itself to be a very reliable booster thus far, even surviving an engine failure at launch during the CRS-1 ISS resupply mission. Falcon 9 is designed to make it to orbit even after losing two of its 9 Merlin engines, thankfully it hasn’t had to make use of that feature. Let’s hope it never has to.