The world is now witnessing another leap for mankind as SpaceX Falcon 9 makes another flight to space. Along that line, many have turned their attention towards Tesla's CEO Elon Musk, who also leads this prestigious dream.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is targeting the launch of a "behemoth" commercial communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center and weighing in at nearly 13,500 pounds atop the rocket, the fourth Inmarsat-5 satellite will be the heaviest load lofted by a Falcon 9 yet, reports Florida Today.
The 230-foot SpaceX Falcon 9 will need all its fuel and 1.7 million pounds of liftoff thrust to deliver the spacecraft larger than a double-decker bus on its way to an orbit more than 22,000 miles over the equator, reports the same post.
On a different note, SpaceX has much to prove for its upcoming launch. If Elon Musk's SpaceX racks up another successful rocket launch this week, the blastoff could go a long way toward convincing critics that the company has recovered smartly from a pair of spectacular explosions in 2015 and 2016 that cast a pall over its future.
The unmanned Falcon 9 mission from Florida's Kennedy Space Center slated for Monday, carrying a commercial communications satellite for Inmarsat PLC, is partly intended to showcase how nimble Space Exploration Technologies Corp., as the closely held company is officially called, has become executing swift back-to-back launches, according to the same report.
With Elon Musk's vision at risk, the success of SpaceX Falcon 9 is vital. However, as for the negative perceptions and setbacks, everything remains to be seen. The launch is scheduled this coming Monday, 7:21 p.m.