Falcon-9, a new rocket designed by private SpaceX company to deliver cargo and possibly astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA, may make its debut launch on Friday, the company said on its website.
The rocket was built by Elon Musk's private spaceflight company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to provide unmanned cargo shipments to the International Space Station after the NASA shuttle fleet retires this year.
"SpaceX is now targeting Friday, June 4th for its first test launch attempt of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle," the website says.
The rocket is scheduled to lift off from a seaside pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday around 15:00 GMT. Though there is a 40% chance of no-go weather conditions, there will be a four-hour launch window, and an opportunity to postpone the flight until Saturday.
"It's important to note that since this is a test launch, our primary goal is to collect as much data as possible, with success being measured as a percentage of how many flight milestones we are able to complete in this first attempt," the company said.
"It would be a great day if we reach orbital velocity, but still a good day if the first stage functions correctly, even if the second stage malfunctions."
Designer Elon Musk puts chances for a successful launch between 70 and 80%.
"This is very much a test flight of Falcon 9," the Space.com portal quoted Musk as saying. "It's analogous to some beta testing of new technology."
During the first launch, it will carry a mock-up of a Dragon vehicle developed to perform cargo trips, and, eventually, deliver astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
SpaceX has signed a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to deliver 20 tons of cargo to the International Space Station over 12 Dragon flights through 2016.
The Falcon 9 rocket is a 54-meter- (178-foot-) tall two-stage liquid fuel booster. It is estimated to take between eight and ten minutes for the rocket to reach a target orbit about 155 miles (250 km) above Earth.
MOSCOW, June 4 (RIA Novosti)
