A Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon completed an apparently successful test firing of its first stage engines in preparation for a planned Tuesday launch. A company Webcast showed fire bursting from the 157-foot rocket's Merlin engines at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 40, and a roar could be heard.
Check out a video of the so-called "static fire" test here.
The nine engines were supposed to burn at full power for two seconds before automatically shutting down. The entire test firing lasted slightly longer.
The test concluded a full launch dress rehearsal that initially targeted the engine firing test for 9 a.m.
SpaceX is expected to issue a news release today to confirm preliminary test results and plans to proceed with a launch attempt Tuesday between 9 a.m. and 12:22 p.m.
The mission to fly the Falcon 9 and the first operational Dragon spacecraft is the first under a NASA demonstration program developing a commerical capability to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
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