NASA certifies SpaceX to launch big-ticket science probes

Washington: NASA has formally certified US-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation's (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket to launch the most ambitious science missions. The Falcon 9 is now certified by NASA as a "Category 2" launch vehicle. NASA and SpaceX began pursuing the certification of the Falcon 9 in 2012.

SpaceX has successfully launched six re-supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the NASA contract. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket will deploy the 1,124 pound spacecraft into orbit 830 miles above the Earth. The satellite will then activate a radar altimeter to bounce signals off the world's oceans to measure wave height, sea level rise and other data that are important for weather forecasting, oceanography and climate change research.

"The certification now clears the Falcon 9 to launch what NASA calls 'medium-risk' science missions, a classification that includes most of the agency's Earth observation satellites and many of its interplanetary probes," said NASA spokesperson. The launch will be the Falcon 9's second flight. The first launch of Falcon 9 from California was in September, 2013.