Space Exploration Technologies or better known as Space X was founded by Tesla CEO Ellon Musk whose goal is to make technologies to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars. Now it looks like the company is making huge strides towards accomplishing that goal by planning to launch Falcon 9 rockets every two or three weeks.
This will be the fastest rate of launch for SpaceX since it started its launches in 2010 according to Fortune. The Falcon 9 launches will begin once a new launch pad is put into service next week in Florida.
Surprisingly, the plan comes five months after a SpaceX rocket burst into flames while docked on a launch pad at the company's original launch site in Florida. Since then, the company has only launched one rocket which was in January.
SpaceX came close to approaching that pace last autumn before the accident. The explosion cost more than $200 million in damage due to damages on Israeli satellite and the launch pad.
Because of the explosion, SpaceX will be modifying the Falcon 9's engine to improve its safety features as well as increase engine performance. The improvements will com with a change of design in the spaceship's turbopump which provides the propellants to the engine. It will also eliminate cracks that are a cause of concern for NASA and the US Air Force.
SpaceX Gwayne Shotwell that the new turbopumps will be first tested on unmanned test flights this November. For him, the concern was not about the cracks but whether the cracks will grow overtime and cause a flight failure.
The cracks were first discovered during ground tests of the Merlin engines in 2015. But SpaceX denies that the cracks were related to the Sept 1 explosion according to Spacenews.
SpaceX has had a high rate of success for space flight with 27 out of 29 successful flights since the Falcon 9's debut in 2010. It's no surprise that SpaceX is confident enough to launch more flights even after a recent explosion.
