A test flight for a new private spacecraft is set for Wednesday morning.
Space Explorations Technologies Corp. had been aiming for a Tuesday launch from Cape Canaveral. But the company, known as SpaceX, delayed the flight to repair cracks in the upper-stage rocket nozzle.
It will be the first launch under a NASA program to get supplies to the International Space Station via private companies once the shuttles stop flying next year.
SpaceX’s Dragon capsule won’t fly to the space station. Rather, it will circle Earth twice in a flight demo, then splash into the Pacific. It will be the first attempt by a commercial company to recover a spacecraft re-entering from orbit.
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Online:
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home/cots–project.html
SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/
