A second attempt by SpaceX to land its re-usable Falcon 9 rocket aboard a ‘spaceport drone ship’ in the Atlantic Ocean did not go according to plan.
SpaceX’s unmanned Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched at 4:10 EDT Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on SpaceX’s sixth official mission to resupply the space station for NASA.
After successfully launching the Dragon spacecraft into orbit, the Falcon 9 rocket re-entered the earth’s atmosphere in an attempt for a soft landing aboard the autonomous ship, named “Just Read the Instructions”.
The rocket made it to the ship, but “excess lateral velocity caused it to tip over”, SpaceX said in a statement.
The landing. Photo: SpaceX
The mission was the second attempt by SpaceX to land the Falcon 9 rocket aboard the ship. The company’s goal is to land the rocket safely so that it could be reused, which would significantly reduce the cost spaceflight.
The first attempt to land the rocket was in January. That time, the rocket reached the ship, but came down too hard and exploded on impact.
The drone spaceport ship is basically a fancy name for a modified unmanned barge, which was developed with and built by LAD Services, LLC, a fabrication and repair company that has 3 shipyard facilities in Louisiana.
SpaceX’s next landing and recovery attempt will occur during the CRS-7 mission, currently targeted for June 2015.
Here’s quick clip of the Falcon 9 rocket coming down:
Ascent successful. Dragon enroute to Space Station. Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival.
By David Shepardson (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department declined to investigate or prosecute then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao after the inspector general’s office referred allegations of potential misuse of office...
By Vera Eckert (Reuters) – Container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd said surging demand for bulky goods like exercise equipment from locked-down consumers may flatten out in the second or early third quarter,...
By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen (Reuters) – Shipping group Maersk ($AMKBY) said on Wednesday it would accelerate plans to decarbonize sea-borne container shipping by putting the world’s first vessel powered by carbon-neutral...
February 17, 2021
Total Views: 1927
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.