WATCH: Falcon 9 Rocket Launches On Second Attempt

Falcon 9 is a brand new commercial rocket ship built by private company Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX.) It was initially slated to blast off at 1:30 p.m. EDT but had experienced a mission abort at literally the very last second. Just over one hour later the launch was successful – video of the launch is below.

Writing for BBC.com, Jonathan Amos reports:

The Falcon 9 in its simplest form is a “single stick” vehicle with a two-stage configuration. A cluster of nine SpaceX-developed Merlin-1C engines will power the rocket off the pad.

A single Merlin on the second stage will complete the task of pushing the payload into orbit.

For its maiden flight, the Falcon 9 will launch a cut-down version of its Dragon freighter – a blunt-nosed, 3.6m-wide capsule that will collect engineering performance data during the ascent.

On future flights, Dragon will be filled with supplies for the International Space Station.

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