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Science & Technology

Test Flight For Private Spacecraft Scheduled For Wednesday

A test flight for a new private spacecraft is set for Wednesday morning.

Space Explorations Technologies Corp. had been aiming for a Tuesday launch from Cape Canaveral. But the company, known as SpaceX, delayed the flight to repair cracks in the upper-stage rocket nozzle.

It will be the first launch under a NASA program to get supplies to the International Space Station via private companies once the shuttles stop flying next year.

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SpaceX's Dragon capsule won't fly to the space station. Rather, it will circle Earth twice in a flight demo, then splash into the Pacific. It will be the first attempt by a commercial company to

recover a spacecraft re-entering from orbit.

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