Barber-Nichols Inc. (BNI) would like to congratulate SpaceX on its successful launch of the Falcon 9. BNI has been working with SpaceX since 2002 and produced the turbopumps that supply kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants to the Merlin engines. There are ten engines in all; nine engines provide thrust for the first stage and one additional vacuum nozzled engine provides thrust for the second stage.
The launch took place at 2:45 PM Eastern Time and placed a demonstration Dragon capsule into orbit. This achievement is a significant step toward the use of commercial launch vehicles in support of the International Space Station. NASA has three COTS missions planned for this summer and the next Falcon 9 is already built and ready for transportation to Cape Canaveral.
