SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 9 Rocket

leetrout writes "SpaceX has successfully launched a two-stage rocket, the Falcon 9, into Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 'Liftoff came after hours of delay, sparked initially by launchpad telemetry problems, then by a sailboat that strayed into a restricted area of the launch range. The day's first countdown was aborted at virtually the last second, due to a problem with the engine parameters, but the launch software was adjusted and a second countdown went all the way to the end.'" Update: 06/04 20:16 GMT by S : Reader mrcaseyj points out Spaceflight Now's coverage, which includes a number of pictures from the launch.

Comments

Re:Most important launch in decades

[Monkey_Genius]

Only the engine cluster is designed to be 'reusable' -it separates from the first stage fuel tank after booster separation. The cork material is thermal insulation for the cryogenic LOX used in the first stage.