The three main parachutes on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carry to a landing in the Pacific Ocean during a drop test. Credit: Chris Thompson/SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies (or SpaceX) has successfully drop-tested a capsule designed to take cargo and crew to the International Space Station.

The capsule, called Dragon, was dropped from 4,240 meters to validate its parachutes and splashdown systems. It has three main parachutes, each 35 meters wide, which are used to slow the spacecraft's descent, and thrusters that fire to help it navigate to it's landing location. Eventually, SpaceX wants to bring the capsule down on land. The drop test was the final in a series of tests designed to ensure that the spacecraft is ready for its maiden test flight on the Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for later this year.

"Data gathered during the drop test will be invaluable as we prepare for the upcoming demonstration flight of the first operational Dragon spacecraft," said Chris Thompson, SpaceX vice president of structures in this Space.com article.

SpaceX received a $1.6 billion contract from NASA to provide the agency with a launch vehicle and spacecraft to carry cargo to the space station, with the option of manned missions, once the space shuttles retire next year. Cargo-carrying flights are scheduled to begin in 2011, and SpaceX says crew capabilities can be ready within three years of NASA's orders.

Today Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a private company based in Hawthorne-CA, successfully launched its test rocket, Falcon 9. The historic flight lasted almost 10 minutes and the spacecraft reached low earth orbit where it will remain for a few weeks. The success of the flight is a great feat as well as a sigh of relief for SpaceX and other commercial space companies, which NASA has charged with building the next U.S. spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the space station after the space shuttles retire this year. NASA expects the Falcon 9 rocket to be the first vehicle ready by 2015.

Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, FL on its second attempt--its first try was automatically aborted seconds before launch. Tensions remained high until the first stage successfully separated from the second stage, and a second set of engines fired to propel the spacecraft into earth orbit. The test rocket carried a simulated capsule, called Dragon, which will be used to carry cargo and eventually crew to the International Space Station. The capsule will remain in low earth orbit collecting data for a couple weeks. The goal of the flight was sheer data gathering, and prior to its launch, Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO, said even a 70 to 80 percent success rate would be an accomplishment.

Last year, the company won a $1.6 billion contract through NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to provide NASA with a vehicle capable of reaching ISS. Falcon 9 is part of a family of rockets that SpaceX is developing that could provide U.S. transportation to space since President Obama announced a new plan for NASA, which included canceling the Constellation program and the development of the Ares I rocket, the agency's spacecraft to replace the shuttle. Instead, Obama's plan is to rely on the commercial space industry, companies like SpaceX and Orbital Science Corporation, to develop rockets for transportation and until they are ready the U.S. will have to buy rides off the Russians. Allowing commercial companies to build rockets for low earth orbit will enable NASA to focus on developing a spacecraft for missions to the moon, asteroids, and eventually Mars.

Many critics fear that commercial companies will undergo the same budge issues and schedule push-backs as NASA's Constellation program, the reason Obama wants it terminated. Skeptics also fear that commercial rockets would not be as safe and reliable as a government-built vehicle. The success of Falcon 9 today shows promise that the commercial industry can get the job done.

Full duration orbit insertion firing of the Falcon 9 second stage, conducted on January 2, 2010. Credit: SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a private company based in Hawthorne-CA, successfully fired the second stage engines of its Falcon 9 rocket for 329 seconds (the time intended for a full duration orbit) on Saturday. The company says that its spacecraft should be ready to take to the sky in the next couple months.

Falcon 9 is part of a family of rockets that SpaceX is developing that could fill the gap in U.S. transportation to space. The space shuttles are expected to retire in 2010 and NASA's next launch vehicle, Ares, is not scheduled to be ready for flight until 2015.

SpaceX initially started developing its rockets for space tourism and for launching scientific and commercial satellites into orbit, and has successfully flown a previous rocket, Falcon 1. Last year, the company won a $1.6 billion contract through NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to provide the space agency with a vehicle capable of reaching the International Space Station. Commercial launch vehicles could also help reduce spaceflight costs for the U.S. government. Aboard Falcon 9 will be the company's Dragon capsule, a spacecraft designed to carry both cargo and crew.

The maiden flight of Falcon 9 has been hit with delays--last fall the company was promising to launch the rocket by the end of 2009 after they conducted successful first stage engine firings. But the company says it will be shipping the second stage to Cape Canaveral, FL (the launch site) by the end of the month and, "depending on how well full vehicle integration goes, launch should occur one to three months later."