Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is scheduled to launch its Dragon space capsule toward the international space station Feb. 7 in a flight demonstration that would clear the way for die Hawthorne, Calif.-based company to begin regular cargo runs to the orbital outpost. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver announced the target launch date Dec. 9 during a speech at die NASA Future Forum in Seattle. SpaceX, which has received $376 million from NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration program since 2006, originally planned to conduct two Dragon demo flights before sending the vehicle to berth widi the space station for the first time. But after Dragon's Falcon 9 launcher made a successful debut in June 2010, SpaceX began pushing to combine its final two COTS flights into a single mission. In a press release issued immediately after Garver's announcement, NASA said it has conditionally approved SpaceX's request to berth with the station during the upcoming mission.
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