Calif.-based SpaceX launches Malaysia satellite
HAWTHORNE, Calif. -- Rocket developer Space Exploration Technologies said Tuesday it conducted its second fully successful launch, placing a Malaysian satellite into orbit.
The company's two-stage Falcon 1 rocket lifted off late Monday PDT from Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll, 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii in the central Pacific.
The rocket's stage separation and deployment of the satellite went perfectly, said Cassie Kloberdanz, spokeswoman for the Hawthorne-based company.
The RazakSAT satellite, built by Astronautic Technology Sdn. Bhd. of Malaysia, carried a high-resolution camera that can be used for land management and similar purposes.
Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX, is developing new launch vehicles with a goal of increasing reliability while reducing costs.
SpaceX was formed in 2002 by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk. It has had three launches that did not reach orbit. Its first successful launch put a dummy payload into orbit in September 2008.
In December, SpaceX won a $1.6 billion NASA contract to supply the international space station.
Its next mission will be the launch of a larger Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla.