CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first stage and interstage components of a Falcon 9 rocket sit on adjacent processing stands in the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) hangar at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Technicians are preparing the rocket for the second launch in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, program to demonstrate private companies' ability to launch uncrewed spacecraft into orbit. A follow-on contract, Commercial Resupply Services, calls for SpaceX to launch 12 resupply missions to the International Space Station between 2011 and 2015. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
Location Cape Canaveral, FL
Date April 27, 2011