SFS News: SpaceX Conducts First Five Engine Firing of ...

Klaus Schmidt · Posted on: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:01 pm

McGregor TX, (SpaceX) â€“ Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first five-engine firing of its Falcon 9 medium to heavy lift rocket at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor on Thursday, May 29. At full power the engines generated almost half a million pounds of force, and consumed 1,750 lbs of fuel and liquid oxygen per second. This five engine test again sets the record as the most powerful test yet on the towering 235-foot tall test stand.

The test of the five Merlin 1C engines, arranged in a cross pattern like the Saturn V moon rocket, is the last step before firing the full complement of nine engines, scheduled for this summer. With all engines operating, the Falcon 9 generates over one million pounds of thrust in vacuum - four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft.

â€œThis is the first time that weâ€™ve added more than one engine at a time, and all phases of integration and testing went smoothly,â€

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Klaus Schmidt Space Station Commander Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 12:55 pm Posts: 506 Location: Germany	SFS News: SpaceX Conducts First Five Engine Firing of ... Posted on: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:01 pm McGregor TX, (SpaceX) â€“ Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted the first five-engine firing of its Falcon 9 medium to heavy lift rocket at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor on Thursday, May 29. At full power the engines generated almost half a million pounds of force, and consumed 1,750 lbs of fuel and liquid oxygen per second. This five engine test again sets the record as the most powerful test yet on the towering 235-foot tall test stand. The test of the five Merlin 1C engines, arranged in a cross pattern like the Saturn V moon rocket, is the last step before firing the full complement of nine engines, scheduled for this summer. With all engines operating, the Falcon 9 generates over one million pounds of thrust in vacuum - four times the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft. â€œThis is the first time that weâ€™ve added more than one engine at a time, and all phases of integration and testing went smoothly,â€
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thomson Spaceflight Participant Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:17 am Posts: 71 Location: Gdansk, Poland	Posted on: Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:11 pm Awesome! Launch that Falcon 1 already, guys _________________ It's okay Pluto, I'm not a planet either.
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Klaus Schmidt Space Station Commander Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 12:55 pm Posts: 506 Location: Germany	Posted on: Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:14 pm Video Update:
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