Launching a Truck Into Space 141
To test the rockets, SpaceX needed a test facility. They
couldn’t test rocket engines in downtown Los Angeles. Just
south of Dallas, in McGregor, Texas, they found a perfect
facility. SpaceX bought the site from the Texas banker
Andrew Beal, whose own rocket company, Beal Aerospace,
had used the site.
In 2000, Beal shut down Beal Aerospace because it
was too difficult for a private company to compete with
the governmental subsidies of NASA. He explained that
the problems for space entrepreneurs are more political
than technical. Elon agreed with him. “The Pentagon’s
preferred approach is to do long-term, ‘sole-source’ con-
tracts – which means to lock up the entire business for
one company,” Elon said. “We’ve been trying to bid on
the primary Air Force launch contract, but it’s nearly
impossible, because United Launch Alliance, co-owned by
Boeing and Lockheed Martin, currently has an exclusive
contract with the Air Force for satellite launch. It’s totally
inappropriate. Even though we would save the taxpayers
at least a billion dollars a year – and that’s a conservative
estimate.”^305
SpaceX assemble all Merlin engines in Los Angeles and
test-fire them in Texas. One part of the test involves feeding
a stainless steel nut into the fuel and oxidizer lines while the
engine is running. Another test is performed on the launch
pad and yet another just before liftoff. For a while after
the engines are ignited, the rocket can’t ascend because it’s
held down by clamps so Falcon’s computers can analyze
the engine performance. When everything looks good, the