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SpaceX capsule heading to International Space Station

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  • Description

    First commercial cargo ship makes historic launch

  • Duration 2:49
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Can't lift off.

Liftoff of the SpaceX falcon nine rocket.

And -- that space next graduates from test launches to the real deal.

It's a private space company that sent out its dragon capsule into orbit last night.

An unmanned cargo ship officially the first commercial flights the International Space Station.

Of course it wasn't without a few hiccups SpaceX reports one of nine engines on that rocket shut down.

But that -- onboard computer did some -- calculating and save the mission no problem.

NASA officials say the rocket should reach the ISS -- International Space Station on Wednesday.

And it's due back on earth later this month.

It's the first of a dozen supply mission scheduled part of that one point six billion dollar contract between SpaceX and NASA right now -- just cargo but one day.

One day they tell us it may be astronauts.

Chris yeah he's he's an -- West Coast views of this afternoon what kind of car -- was on portraits.

880 pound ship everything from batteries to food in a freezer that's filled with scientific experiments and inside that -- is also -- bunch of ice cream we're told that chocolate swirl as one of the flavors on board.

We should also note.

Every bit as important as what's going up to the shuttle is what's gonna come back because says the shuttle or the space station since the shuttle program ended we have not been able to bring back any supplies at all.

Because the cargo capsules from France and Russia and Japan.

Burn up on reentry but dragon goes round trip it'll bring home 16100 pounds of waste.

Old equipment and other very very important scientist experiments that have been waiting on board.

The International Space Station -- and what about astronaut straits -- -- they scheduled to catch a ride on this capsule.

It's looking like now about three to four years before they even begin trying these men test flights and right now the target date for actually sending astronauts from US soil back to the International Space Station.

Is about 2017.

Right now there are three companies involved in this private space race one is SpaceX -- just sent up the dragon capsule.

The others are blowing and Sierra Nevada all three have contracts with NASA and all three have very high hopes.

-- filling the shuttle's -- but for former astronaut Tom Jones.

It's all way too slow -- We gave up the shuttle last year.

The original schedule was to have a two year transition between the shuttle and the human flight system that would come after -- -- it's gonna stretch out to something like five years.

Compared to the space race days and we could build a capsule like -- from scratch in just three years.

By the way that dragon capsule comes back to earth on October 28.

Splashing down right off the coast of Southern California -- Trace Gallagher in Los Angeles -- thank you slightly closer to surface.

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