Video: SpaceX Dragon departs space station

Orbital ATK shipped the final major piece of hardware for the next Cygnus space station resupply mission to a launch base on Virginia’s Eastern Shore last week as technicians began loading cargo destined for delivery to the orbiting research lab.

The nine Merlin main engines at the base of a recycled Falcon 9 rocket booster ignited Thursday night for several seconds during a pre-flight test-firing on a Cape Canaveral launch pad, clearing a major hurdle ahead of a scheduled May 31 liftoff with a high-power communications satellite for SES.

The mission will be the first dedicated Starlink flight of the year. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened on Monday, Jan. 6, at 3:43 p.m. EST (2043 UTC).