SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ready for first launch

A rocket that may one day launch astronauts to the space station is set for its maiden flight from Florida.

The Falcon 9 has been developed privately by SpaceX of California with a large subsidy from Nasa.

The four-hour launch window for the 47m-tall vehicle, which carries an unmanned dummy cargo capsule, opened at 1500 GMT.

US President Barack Obama inspected the rocket on its pad in April during a visit to the Space Coast.

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