Photos: SpaceX's Rocket Landing Test and 6th Dragon Cargo Flight

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rocket and Dragon Capsule

SpaceX

The landing legs on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket can be seen folded up against the hull of the booster's first stage. During the landing attempt, they will fold down for the attempted touchdown.

Just Read The Instructions

SpaceX

The SpaceX drone ship Just Read The Instructions is the landing target for the April 13, 2015 reusable Falcon 9 rocket test. The ship will be positioned in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS-6 Static Fire

SpaceX

To prepare for the April 13 launch, SpaceX test fired the nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage, clearing the way for the launch.

SpaceX's Dragon Capsule Ahead of Cargo Launch

SpaceX

The April 13, 2015 launch will mark SpaceX's sixth cargo flight to the International Space Station for NASA under a $1.6 billion deal for 12 such flights.

Dragon Capsule Leaving SpaceX Headquarters

SpaceX (via Flickr as SpaceX Photos)

SpaceX's sixth Dragon cargo ship is shipped out of the company's Hawthorne, California factory for its April 13, 2015 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX Workers Cheering Dragon Capsule

SpaceX (via Flickr as SpaceX Photos)

The SpaceX team poses for a photo with the next Dragon to fly.

ISSPresso, the Space-bound Coffeemaker

Argotec/Lavazza

One of the major cargo items of interest on SpaceX's Dragon is this prototype space coffee maker built in Italy.

ISSpresso Space Coffee Machine

Lavazza/Argotec

Called the ISSpresso, the zero gravity coffee machine is designed to make espresso coffee for astronauts in space.

Falcon 9 in Launch Position

SpaceX

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon cargo ship for the Commercial Resupply Service 6 mission (CRS-6) is raised into vertical launch position atop a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida ahead of a planned liftoff on April 13, 2015.

SpaceX Dragon for CRS-6 Mission

SpaceX

SpaceX's sixth Dragon cargo ship to make a NASA delivery is seen in detail atop its Falcon 9 rocket on April 13, 2015 as it is prepared to launch from a pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.