Omelek ( English Omelek [ˈoʊməlɛk] , march. Kom̧le [kʷo͡ɤmˠ (ɤ͡e) lʲee̯] [1] ) is an island that is part of the Kwajalein atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands . It is controlled by the US Armed Forces on a long-term lease (along with ten other atoll islands) and is part of the Reagan Test Site .
| Mistletoe | |
|---|---|
| march. Kom̧le | |
 Aerial view | |
| Specifications | |
| Square | 0.032 km² |
| Population | 0 pax (2012) |
| Location | |
| Water area | Pacific Ocean |
| A country |
|
Geography
The island in size occupies about 32,000 square meters (7.9 acres). Geologically has a reef structure, like other islands in the atoll, which is created due to the accumulation of the remains of marine organisms (corals, mollusks, etc.)
History
Omelek has long been used by the United States to launch small scientific rockets because of its relatively isolated position in the South Pacific. The last government launch of the rocket occurred in 1996.
The island’s proximity to the equator and the nearby radar tracking infrastructure attracted the attention of SpaceX , which updated the facilities on the island and approved it as the main launch site for its missiles. SpaceX began launching Falcon 1 rockets from Omelek in 2006. Falcon 1 Flight 4, the first private successful launch of a liquid orbital launch vehicle, took place on Omelek Island on September 28, 2008. In total, 5 launches of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle from 2006 to 2009 were carried out from the island (2 of them were successful).