NASA’s Launch Pad 39A was reignited by static fire during a pre-flight test on Sunday in preparation for a Feb. 18 launch of SpaceX Falcon 9.
Built in the 1960s, the historic Launch Pad 39A is the same at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida was used to launch such historic missions as Apollo 11, the first moon landing in 1969, according to Collect Space.
According to the Maroc Journal, pre-flight testing includes fueling the rocket and then lighting its engines.
“First static fire test of Falcon 9 at historic launch complex 39A completed in advance of Dragon’s upcoming mission to the space station,” SpaceX wrote on Twitter.
“This is the same launch pad used by the Saturn V rocket that first took people to the moon in 1969,” SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk wrote on Instagram. “We are honored to be allowed to use it.”
SpaceX's Falcon 9 is set to launch Saturday, which will be the first time the rocket has taken off since it exploded on a launch pad in September of last year, according to The Space Reporter.
At the time, the Falcon 9 exploded during a pre-launch testing, ultimately destroying the launch pad.
According to an investigation into the matter, there was a fueling issue that filtered over to the rocket's helium pressure tank, the Maroc Journal noted.
However, after making necessary changes to its fueling procedures, SpaceX is now ready to begin launching again.
SpaceX said it plans to launch its rockets more frequently than ever before; every two or three weeks.
The company said it also plans to start launching astronauts to the International Space Station by 2018.
A video of Sunday's test was posted on YouTube.
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