Dunfermline Astronomical Society

In preparation for the inaugural Falcon 9 flight, our Structures team is hard at work with qualification of the Falcon 9 primary structures. The Falcon 9 first stage with interstage is currently loaded in the structural qualification stand at our Texas facility. Qualification testing is expected to be complete by month's end and we expect to have fully qualified first and second flight stages at SLC-40 by end of summer.

The Falcon 9 truss and skirt assembly is complete and loaded in the structural test stand at our headquarters in Hawthorne, California. System checks begin today and proceed into qualification loading later this week. The entire test series will take about 3 weeks to complete.

Pending installation of the transfer tube, our Falcon 9 Flight 1 first stage tank will be completed this week, travel to Texas for proof and leak testing, and then move on to integration. Second stage tank build progress continues with secondary structure installations, and the Falcon 9 fairing build continues as well, with final assembly to start in approximately three to four weeks.

Progress continues on the hardware for Flight 2 of Falcon 9, which will feature our first demonstration flight under the COTS program of the Dragon spacecraft. The friction stir weld process is nearly complete for the second stage tank and the Falcon 9 interstage is in final assembly. In addition, skirt panels are complete through the layup process and ready for assembly integration.

Avionics

Development of the avionics suite for Falcon 9 and Dragon is nearing completion, with key units in final qualification testing and others in production.

Units already in production include:

• Remote Input/Output modules for Merlin engine control
• 10 Mbit/sec network switching nodes for Falcon 9 and Dragon
• High-energy-density Lithium-polymer batteries

SpaceX-developed CUCU (COTS Ultra high frequency Communication Unit) radio transceiver undergoing testing in Avionics' EMI (electromagnetic interference) test chamber.

In addition, the COTS UHF Communications Unit (CUCU), a dual-redundant digital communications link for Dragon and the ISS, has passed qualification testing and four units are in production. CUCU units on Dragon and the ISS will provide radio communication between the two space vehicles during final approach and berthing of Dragon. The first CUCU production unit is scheduled to be transported by NASA to the ISS aboard the Space Shuttle in late 2009.

Visit www.spacex.com/updates.php to view this update on the web.