{"id":15840,"date":"2015-12-20T20:24:29","date_gmt":"2015-12-20T12:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/photos-taller-souped-up-falcon-9-on-the-launch-pad\/"},"modified":"2015-12-20T20:24:29","modified_gmt":"2015-12-20T12:24:29","slug":"photos-taller-souped-up-falcon-9-on-the-launch-pad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/photos-taller-souped-up-falcon-9-on-the-launch-pad\/","title":{"rendered":"Photos: Taller, souped-up Falcon 9 on the launch pad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, built with extended propellant tanks and engines rated for higher thrust, is poised for liftoff on the company\u2019s first launch since a catastrophic failure in June grounded the commercial booster.<\/p>\n<p>The rocket stands 229 feet tall, five feet taller than the previous version of the Falcon 9, and will burn a super-chilled mixture of liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene colder than the propellants consumed on SpaceX\u2019s earlier launches.<\/p>\n<p>Eleven refrigerator-sized satellites for Orbcomm\u2019s message relay constellation are bolted on top of the rocket for deployment less than a half-hour after liftoff at 8:29 p.m. EST Sunday (0129 GMT Monday) from Cape Canaveral\u2019s Complex 40 launch pad.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX aims to return the 156-foot first stage booster to a vertical rocket-assisted touchdown at a landing zone about six miles south of the launch pad, a first-time flyback maneuver that the company bills as a major step to making the rocket reusable.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11556\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11556\" style=\"width: 621px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11556\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm2.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"621\" height=\"414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11556\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11557\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11557\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11557\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"620\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm1-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm1-768x495.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm1-1024x660.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11557\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11558\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11558\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11558\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm7.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"620\" height=\"952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm7.jpg 800w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm7-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm7-768x1180.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm7-667x1024.jpg 667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11558\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11559\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11559\" style=\"width: 621px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11559\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm6.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"621\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm6.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm6-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm6-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm6-1024x706.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11559\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11560\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11560\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11560\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm5.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm5.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm5-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11560\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11561\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11561\" style=\"width: 621px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11561\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm4.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"621\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm4.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm4-300x163.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm4-768x417.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm4-1024x556.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11562\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11562\" style=\"width: 621px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-11562\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm3.jpg\" alt=\"Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now\" width=\"621\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm3-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm3-768x488.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/f9_orbcomm3-1024x650.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit: Stephen Clark\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, built with extended propellant tanks and engines rated for higher thrust, is poised for liftoff on the company\u2019s first launch since a catastrophic failure in June grounded the commercial booster. The rocket stands 229 feet tall, five feet taller than the previous version of the Falcon 9, and will burn [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1695,291,1736,479,3764,3842,3628,311],"class_list":["post-15840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-cape-canaveral","tag-commercial-space","tag-complex-40","tag-falcon-9","tag-falcon-9-upgrade","tag-orbcomm","tag-orbcomm-2","tag-reusability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15840"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15840\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}