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Falcon 9 ready for first flight

Posted By Emily Lakdawalla

2010/06/03 05:33 CDT

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is poised for its maiden flight tomorrow, Friday, June 4, between 11:00 and 15:00 Eastern time (1500-1900 UTC / 8:00-12:00 PDT). A webcast will be available from the SpaceX website beginning 20 minutes before the launch window opens.

I won't pretend to be able to write knowledgeably about this dramatic moment in the development of private launch capability; instead I will direct you to Alan Boyle's Cosmic Log entry "SpaceX set for rocket roulette" and Stephen Clark's Spaceflight Now article "Falcon 9 demo launch will test more than a new rocket." Clark also maintains Spaceflight Now's Falcon 9 Mission Status Center. Jeff Foust Tweeted a lot of interesting information from the prelaunch press conference held this morning.

It's going to be a busy morning tomorrow!

Ben Cooper, launchphotography.com

Falcon 9 poised for its first flight

The first flight-worthy Falcon 9 is ready for a pre-launch dress rehearsal and engine firing on Pad 40. Photo taken March 4.