First flight is a step forward

First flight is a step forward

Kansas City Star: It was a nearly flawless initial flight: The rocket’s engines fired, it lifted off from the pad, the stages separated and the payload went into orbit at the expected altitude.

Friday’s maiden flight of the Falcon 9 rocket was an important step toward President Barack Obama’s goal of using private contractors to deliver people and cargo to the International Space Station.

Falcon 9 was developed by the Space Explorations Technology Corp., or SpaceX. The Falcon 9 demonstration flight, part of a $278 million federal contract, exceeded expectations. A second Falcon 9 is scheduled to fly later this summer carrying the Dragon capsule, which will be used for cargo and, eventually, people.

With the space shuttle scheduled to retire this year, it makes sense to rely more on private contractors for crew and cargo lift.

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