Video Caption: A 60-second long test firing of the Falcon 9 Flight 3 second stage, conducted at the SpaceX Test Facility in McGregor. Texas. The Merlin Vacuum second stage engine generates 92,500 lb of force in vacuum, and operates with a vacuum specific impulse of 342 seconds — the highest efficiency ever for an American hydrocarbon rocket engine. In flight the engine ignites about 3 minutes after launch, delivering the Dragon spacecraft to orbit about 6 minutes later.
Recent Posts
- Stratolaunch Progress Report in Photos
- Guest Opinion: All’s Not Well in Spaceport America’s Progress
- Killer Asteroids: A Lot More Than We Thought
- SpaceX Identifies Falcon 9 Problem, Hopes for Tuesday Launch
- Citizen Scientists Seek Microbes at the Edge of Space
- CASIS Unveils New Website
- Video: Post-Scrub Launch Press Conference
- Industry Groups Applaud House Bill Supporting Satellite Export Reform
- Falcon 9 Suffers Abort Just Prior to Liftoff
- House Passes Measure to Support DOD-Private Space Cooperation
- Mojave Airport Could Have High-Speed Fiber Optic Services in July
- NASA TV Schedule for SpaceX Dragon Mission to ISS
- The Latest Lurio Report — Table of Contents
- Student Experiments to Fly Aboard Dragon Spacecraft
- Virgin Galactic Pilot Flies WhiteKnightTwo on 80th Flight
- NMSA Issues RFP for Welcome Center Land Purchases
- Dragon to Carry Equipment, Food and Student Experiments to ISS
- Mojave Spaceport Applies for FAA Matching Grant to Buy Advanced Firefighting Equipment
- Big Support in Brownsville for SpaceX’s Proposed Texas Spaceport
- XCOR Announces Lynx Trip Winner
Recent Comments
- Marcus Zottl on SpaceX Identifies Falcon 9 Problem, Hopes for Tuesday Launch
- Jason on SpaceX Identifies Falcon 9 Problem, Hopes for Tuesday Launch
- warshawski on SpaceX Identifies Falcon 9 Problem, Hopes for Tuesday Launch
- Andy on SpaceX Identifies Falcon 9 Problem, Hopes for Tuesday Launch
- JohnHunt on SpaceX Identifies Falcon 9 Problem, Hopes for Tuesday Launch

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