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It may not be the ship that made the Kessel race in less than 12 parsecs, but a SpaceX "Falcon" launched into space today, just in time for the Day of the Star Wars.
The Falcon 9 rocket (which SpaceX president Elon Musk named in honor of Falcon's "Star Wars" Falcon Falcon) launched a Dragon-filled supply ship filled with NASA cargoes from Cape Cape Air Base. Canaveral Air Force Florida. Coincidentally, the mission was launched on May 4th or 4th, as fans of the "Star Wars" movie franchise call it.
"The 4 can be with you," said Jessica Anderson, Manufacturing Engineer at SpaceX, when signing the company's live commentary, recalling the phrase "May the Force be with you" from the Jedi in Star Wars movies. NASA spokeswoman Jennifer Wolfinger also echoed the remarks in her own space agency show.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon freighter for NASA takes off from Space Complex 40 at Cape Canveral Air Force Base in Florida on May 4, 2019.
(Image: © NASA / Kim Shiflett)
SpaceX has developed three types of Falcon rockets over the years: the small Falcon 1, the Falcon 9 pack animal and the heavy Falcon Heavy carrier. And while they look nothing like the iconic Millennium Falcon piloted by Han Solo and his friend Wookie Chewbacca in "Star Wars," there are some striking similarities between the two space vehicles.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon cargo ship for NASA is projected into the dawn sky after its launch from Space Complex 40 at Cape Canveral Air Force Base in Florida on May 4, 2019.
(Image: © NASA / Kim Shiflett)
A reusable cargo cargo ship
Just as the Millennium Falcon is a Corellian freighter carrying payloads (and sometimes passengers) throughout the galaxy, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters are payloads built in orbit. (SpaceX no longer controls Falcon 1 rockets. The last one flew in 2009.)
The first stages of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are also reusable, as is the Millennium Falcon. In the "Star Wars" universe, Han Solo and other characters are regularly refueling and flying their Falcon again and again.
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At the launch of today 's Falcon 9, SpaceX has brought the first propeller stage back to Earth with a precise landing on a drone in the Atlantic Ocean at about 12 miles (19 km) kilometers) off the coast of Florida. The flyby will finally be used again, sending more NASA cargo to the station for at least one additional mission, and possibly a third, said Kenny Todd, head of operations and integration of the International Space Station at the station. NASA, after the successful launch.
Elon Musk said that eventually, SpaceX hopes to fly a Falcon 9 rocket twice within 24 hours. This would put SpaceX rockets on an equal footing with the Millennium Falcon, which seems to have made the trip from Tatooine to the Death Star (near the former site of Alderaan). ), only to escape the Empire and reach the base Rebel of Yavin 4 in the same state. same day in "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope".
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The Millennium Falcon is not the only fiction that SpaceX has named its vehicles. The Dragon spacecraft, for example, owes its name to Puff the Magic Dragon, said Elon Musk. The landing areas of the company's drone ships, "Of course, I still love you" and "Just read the instructions", owe their name to the giant of the space-sensitive vessels of the series "The Culture" of sci-fi author Iain M. Banks.
It's only pure coincidence that the SpaceX Falcon 9 has launched the Dragon Cargo Mission for NASA's "Star Wars Day".
The launch of the mission was initially scheduled for 26 April, but was delayed several times to allow time for additional vehicle checks, optimal orbital mechanics for flight, and minimal leakage of the aircraft. helium at the launch pad and an electrical failure on the drone.
Dragon carries more than 5,500 pounds (2,495 kilograms) of experiments and supplies for astronauts on the International Space Station. He will arrive at the laboratory in orbit early Monday (May 6).
You can see the arrival of Dragon live here, courtesy of NASA TV, from 5:30 am on Monday EDT (09:30 GMT).
Email Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow him. @tariqjmalik. follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook.
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