The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaits a static fire test all nine Merlin engines will fire at once.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaits a static fire test on Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in which all nine Merlin engines will fire at once. The engines use rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen to produce 1 million pounds of thrust. After the test, SpaceX will conduct a thorough review of all data as engineers make final preparations for the first launch of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Dragon spacecraft to low Earth orbit atop the Falcon 9.

This first stage firing is part of a full launch dress rehearsal, which will end after the engines fire at full power for two seconds, with only the hold-down system restraining the rocket from flight. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O'Connell