First private space capsule takes off from US

SpaceX launched an unmanned space capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Wednesday. It was the first time ever a private US company has attempted to put a spacecraft into orbit and bring it safely home.

By News Wires (text)

AFP - SpaceX on Wednesday launched its Dragon space capsule from Cape Canaveral in Florida, marking a US company's first attempt to send a spacecraft into orbit and back.

Liftoff aboard the Falcon 9 rocket took place at 1543 GMT, after an earlier attempt was aborted just moments before takeoff.

"Dragon is in orbit," NASA said in a tweet about 10 minutes after takeoff. "Congrats to SpaceX and their team for a successful launch."

The space capsule was expected to orbit Earth twice before attempting a re-entry into Earth's atmosphere for a splash landing in the Pacific Ocean in about four hours' time (2000 GMT).

No one is aboard the Dragon space capsule, but it has room for seven crew and an ample cargo hold that could one supply the International Space Station, after NASA retires its space shuttle fleet next year.

Never before has a private company attempted the risky feat of sending a spacecraft into orbit and bringing it back to Earth, and even SpaceX's president admitted she was not sure if the attempt would succeed.

The operation hopes to showcase the capsule's ability to launch and separate from the Falcon 9 rocket, orbit Earth, transmit signals and receive commands, then make it back intact.

If the Dragon launch is successful, the next step is for a fly-by of the ISS as part of a five-day mission in which the Dragon will approach the orbiting station within six miles (10 kilometers).

Later, an actual cargo and crew mission to the ISS is planned. Both are scheduled to take place in 2011.

But the company was not overly optimistic that all would go according to plan in its demonstration launches.

"History would say that we are going to have a substantial issue in one of the first of the three flights, that is just empirical that has nothing to do with our process or our hopes," said SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell on Monday.

"If I want to have a cloud over my head I would put success at the same percentage (as prior company estimates), 70 percent," she told reporters on Monday.

"I'm not a statistician so I don't necessarily want to put a number but it isn't any lower than 70."

(Photo credit: NASA)