Article Posted on : - Mar 02, 2013

Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying a Dragon capsule. Photo: SpaceX.

HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA (BNS): Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to orbit for SpaceX's second mission under its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.

After Dragon separated from Falcon 9's second stage approximately nine minutes after launch, a minor issue with some of Dragon's oxidation tanks was detected, SpaceX said in a statement.

However, within a few hours, engineers had identified and corrected the issue, normalizing the oxidation pressure and returning operations to normal, it said.

The Dragon spacecraft recomputed its ascent profile as it was designed to and is now on its way to the International Space Station (ISS) with possible arrival on Sunday - one day past the original timeline.

Dragon will stay on station for a three-week visit, during which astronauts will unload approximately 1,200 pounds of cargo and fill the capsule with return cargo, for return to Earth.

The spacecraft is filled with supplies for the ISS, including critical materials to support science investigations. Later this month, Dragon will return a payload that includes research results, education experiments and space station hardware.

"Falcon 9 was designed to be the world's most reliable rocket, and today's launch validated this by adding to Falcon 9's perfect track record with our fifth success in a row," said Gwynne Shotwell, President of SpaceX.