Jane Edwards
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has been certified by NASA to launch high-priority science missions for the space agency under the Launch Services Program, SpaceNews reported Friday.
“LSP Category 3 certification is a major achievement for the Falcon 9 team and represents another key milestone in our close partnership with NASA,†Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, said in a statement.
She added that the company is honored to provide launch services in support of the country’s critical science payloads.
LSP seeks to support the launch of unmanned rockets that bring to space Earth observation satellites and other spacecraft built for exploration missions.
A rocket should have carried out at least 3 and up to 14 launches in order to be classified a Category 3 vehicle.
A Category 3-certified launch vehicle is designed to support Class A and B missions such as Discovery-class planetary science missions, flagship-class space missions and Mars orbiters and landers.
The U.S. Air Force certified Falcon 9 in 2015 that allows SpaceX to compete for military launch service contracts.
