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SpaceX designed the Falcon 9 to fly despite an engine
malfunction. One engine can explode without affecting
the other engines. Like in an airliner, a protective sheath
enclose the engines, so a fire or explosion won’t affect
the rest of the rocket. Depending on where the rocket is
on its way to space, the Falcon 9 can lose three engines
and still arrive to its final destination. “As long as you are
very careful about ensuring that a problem with one engine
cannot cascade into problems with another engine, more is
actually better,” Elon said.^350
SpaceX moved the launch operations from the Kwa-
jalein Atoll to Cape Canaveral in Florida, where NASA
launched most of its historical rockets. Several compa-
nies are launching rockets from the same area. The area
designated to SpaceX is the same as where the old Ti-
tan IV rockets launched until 2005. SpaceX leased Space
Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Sta-
tion from the military. NASA is present in an adjoining
area called Kennedy Space Center. The unfortunate astro-
nauts of Apollo 1, who died in a fire, practiced at Space
Launch Complex 34.
Due to safety and security reasons, a large area of Cape
Canaveral is closed off from the public, but not from all
inhabitants. Before the Space Shuttle landed after a mission
in space, the largest problem was clearing the runway from
alligators who improved their tan. There are more than