It may not be the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, but a
SpaceX "Falcon" launched into space today just in time for
Star Wars Day.
The
Falcon 9 rocket (which SpaceX CEO
Elon Musk named in honor of the fictional Millennium Falcon from "Star Wars") launched a Dragon resupply ship filled with
NASA cargo from Florida's Cape Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this morning. By coincidence, the mission launched on May 4, or May the Fourth, as fans of the "Star Wars" film franchise call it.
"May the Fourth be with you," SpaceX manufacturing engineer Jessica Anderson said while signing off the company's live launch commentary, a callback to the "May the Force be with you" phrase of the Jedi in the "Star Wars" films. NASA spokesperson Jennifer Wolfinger also echoed those words in the space agency's own broadcast.
SpaceX has developed three types of Falcon rockets over the years: the small Falcon 1, the workhorse Falcon 9 and the heavy-lift Falcon Heavy. And while they don't look anything like the iconic Millennium Falcon flown by Han Solo and his Wookie pal Chewbacca in "Star Wars," there are some striking similarities between the two space vehicles.
A Reusable Cargo FreighterJust as the Millennium Falcon is a Corellian freighter haul payloads (and sometimes passengers) across the galaxy, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters are built haul payloads into orbit. (SpaceX no longer flies Falcon 1 rockets. The last one flew in 2009.)
The first stages of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets are also reusable, just like the Millennium Falcon. In the "Star Wars" universe, Han Solo and other characters regularly refuel and fly their Falcon over and over again.
During today's Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX returned the booster's first stage to Earth with a pinpoint landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 miles (19 kilometers) off the coast of Florida. The booster will eventually fly again, launching more NASA cargo to the station on at least one more mission, and possibly a third, said Kenny Todd, NASA's manager for international Space Station operations and integration, after the successful launch.
Elon Musk has said that eventually, SpaceX hopes to fly a Falcon 9 rocket twice within 24 hours. That would put SpaceX's rockets on par with the Millennium Falcon, which appears to have made the trip from Tatooine to the Death Star (near the former site of Alderaan), only to escape the Empire and reach the Rebel base on Yavin 4 all in the same day in "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope."
The Millennium Falcon isn't the only fictional object SpaceX has named its vehicles after. The Dragon spacecraft, for example, are named after Puff the Magic Dragon, Elon Musk has said. The company's drone ship landing pads, "Of Course I Still Love You" and "Just Read The Instructions," are named after the giant sentient starships of "The Culture" series by science fiction author Iain M. Banks.
It's only sheer coincidence that SpaceX's Falcon 9 launched the Dragon cargo mission for NASA on "Star Wars Day."
The mission was originally scheduled to launch April 26, but was delayed several times to allow time for extra vehicle checks, await optimal orbital mechanics conditions for flight, as well as fix a minor helium leak at the launchpad and electrical issue on the drone ship.
Dragon is carrying more than 5,500 lbs. (2,495 kilograms) of experiments and supplies for astronauts on the International Space Station. It will arrive at the orbiting lab early Monday (May 6).