Launching a Truck Into Space 143
coincided with the 100th anniversary of this first flight, but
due to delays, the rocket had not yet launched.
Elon made a statement during this event. “We’re very
proud to debut this vehicle, and do so here in DC,” Elon
said. “Another thing I want to do here is to announce what
the follow-on is to the Falcon, called the Falcon 5. Falcon
5 will be the first US launch vehicle with true engine-out
capability in over three decades, since the Saturn V. We can
have multiple engines fail, depending on the phase of flight,
and still have a successful mission. We think that will really
have a dramatic improvement in the reliability of access to
space.”^312
SpaceX decided to launch Falcon 1 from the Vanden-
berg Air Force Base. They leased a launch pad from the
Air Force, transported the rocket to the launch site, got the
rocket in place, and they test-fired it. They were ready. But
they were not allowed to launch. The Falcon 1 would fly
over a Titan IV rocket with a billion dollar payload, so there
was a small risk the Falcon 1 could destroy the Titan IV if
something happened after the launch. “It’s like you build
your house... somebody else builds a house next to you
and tells you to get out of your house. Like, what the hell...
after we’ve made that big investment and everything,” Elon
shouted and decided to find another launch site.301,365
You can find a picture of Elon where he holds a white
cat. Like a James Bond villain, SpaceX decided to launch
the Falcon 1 from one of the Marshall Islands in the South
Pacific, 2 100 miles [3 400 km] southwest from Hawaii.
The name of the launch site is the Reagan Test Site at