Now that they have proven that they can land their reusable rocket on land, SpaceX plans to once again try and have their Falcon 9 booster return safely to a mobile platform floating in the middle of the sea – something that they have already attempted to do, and failed, on two occasions.
Perhaps thinking that the third time may be the charm, the Elon Musk-owned aerospace firm will once again attempt the platform landing following the launch of NASA’s Jason-3 probe later this month, according to Popular Science. The launch is scheduled for January 17, 2016.
SpaceX successfully returned its Falcon 9 first-stage rocket on December 21, having it land close to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida following a failed at-sea landing attempt earlier in the year. Musk recently confirmed that the booster suffered no damage during the December landing and was already in good enough shape to be used again, although the company has no plans to reuse the historic booster.
As with previous attempts, the first stage of the rocket will separate approximately two minutes after liftoff, then change position and fire its engines in order to slow its fall, Reuters explained. Afterwards, it will deploy its landing legs and attempt to touch down on the floating landing pad in the Pacific Ocean.
Why try another sea landing after success on the ground?
Given that the last time SpaceX tried an at-sea landing the Falcon 9 fell over at the last moment and exploded, and the success of the ground-based landing, why bother even attempting to land on the floating platform? Because, as NBC News explained, it provides “more flexibility.”
Using mobile landing platforms can help the aerospace outfit avoid potential logistical issues by having a place to land without needing access to a launch pad or a suitable open space on the ground. In addition, the mobile landing site could be moved as needed based on safety or fuel-related concerns.
Ultimately, reports indicate that Musk would like to develop reusable second-stage rockets as well, but for now his company is focusing on its first stage Falcon 9s. The rockets cost around $61 million, according to Reuters, with just $200,000 for fuel. Musk believes that his reusable rockets could “reduce the cost of access to space by probably two orders of magnitude.”
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Image credit: SpaceX
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