Private rocket blasts off for space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- A commercial rocket has blasted
off with a load of supplies for the International Space Station.
The SpaceX company's Falcon 9 rocket took flight at 3:44
a.m. Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, opening a new era of spaceflight. It carried a
capsule named Dragon that is packed with 1,000 pounds of space station
provisions.
This is the first time a private business has launched a
vessel to the space station. That's something only major governments have done -
until now.
The real test comes Thursday when the Dragon gets close to
the space station. It will undergo practice maneuvers from more than a mile out.
If all goes well, the docking will occur Friday.
NASA and SpaceX stress that this is a demonstration flight.
