Tag: Reusability
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World launch markets look toward rocket reusability
What was once thought to be a pipe dream of having a reusable system of rocket and rocket components to reduce the overall cost of spaceflight is now gaining significant traction, as SpaceX leads the way toward a fully reusable first stage, while the United Launch Alliance and the European Space Agency move toward reusability…
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Throttle valve blamed for Falcon 9’s unsuccessful landing
SpaceX engineers have narrowed the cause of last week’s unsuccessful landing of a Falcon 9 rocket booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean on a commanding issue with an engine throttle valve, according to Elon Musk, the company’s founder and chief executive. Musk posted the update on Twitter late Saturday, and he confirmed the…
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Fine-tuning Falcon 9 landing focuses on throttle valve response
SpaceX is getting ever closer to successfully returning the first stage of its Falcon 9 v1.1, with the latest attempt showing the effort is now focused on fine-tuning. The return of the first stage used during the CRS-6 Dragon launch was the best landing attempt to date, with a slower than expected throttle valve response parameter…
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Photos: SpaceX’s debris-strewn landing barge back in port
This image, shared with Spaceflight Now by Twitter user @petr_bourdais, was posted anonymously on Reddit. Returning to port late Thursday under the cover of darkness, SpaceX’s rocket recovery platform has moored at a dock in Jacksonville, Florida, for unloading of charred debris from Tuesday’s crash landing of a Falcon 9 booster. The 14-story booster was…
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Video: SpaceX rocket booster crash lands on barge
A Falcon 9 rocket booster — under the power of a single Merlin 1D engine — descends toward a specially-outfitted ocean landing platform off Florida’s East Coast on Tuesday in a brief video clip released by SpaceX. The rocket tipped over moments after touching down on the barge, which was parked in the Atlantic Ocean…
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Images from Falcon 9’s launch and landing
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday, powering a commercial Dragon cargo ship into orbit while trying a dicey descent maneuver to return to landing on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX says the booster touched down hard and tipped over after landing. Photo credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now Photo credit:…
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SpaceX drone ship in position for daring rocket landing
Updated April 14 with Musk’s comments, details SpaceX’s rocket landing platform — christened “Just Read the Instructions — is on location in the Atlantic Ocean for Monday’s launch. Credit: SpaceX Buoyed by lessons from past attempts and a forecast for calm seas, SpaceX engineers expect a good shot at landing a Falcon 9 booster on…
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SpaceX leases property for landing pads at Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg
Artist’s concept of a Falcon rocket stage on final descent to a vertical propulsive landing as envisioned by SpaceX. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX plans to set up landing pads on abandoned launch sites at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base in a step toward the company’s vision for eventual recovery and reuse of rocket boosters.…
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ESA re-entry vehicle could pave way for reusable launcher
Artist’s concept of the Intermediate Experimental Vehicle. Credit: ESA European engineers are eager to test an experimental re-entry demonstrator Wednesday to validate technologies for future robotic exploration probes, winged space planes, and reusable rocket boosters. The European Space Agency’s Intermediate Experimental Vehicle — about the size of a family car — will take off at…