{"id":18701,"date":"2017-12-15T18:47:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T10:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-takes-rocket-reusability-to-new-heights-with-launch-to-space-station\/"},"modified":"2017-12-15T18:47:14","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T10:47:14","slug":"spacex-takes-rocket-reusability-to-new-heights-with-launch-to-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-takes-rocket-reusability-to-new-heights-with-launch-to-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX takes rocket reusability to new heights with launch to space station"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_384355\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-384355\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-384355\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-spacex-630x455.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX Falcon 9 liftoff\" width=\"630\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-spacex-630x455.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-spacex-768x555.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-spacex.jpg 1160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-384355\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (NASA via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For the first time, SpaceX has sent a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station from a refurbished launch pad, atop a refurbished Falcon 9 rocket.<\/p>\n<p>The Falcon lifted off at 10:35 a.m. ET (7:35 a.m. PT) today from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the first mission to take off from Pad 40 since an earlier Falcon 9 went up in flames during a pre-launch test in September 2016, doing significant damage to the complex.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s taken SpaceX that long to finish its repairs and upgrades. In the meantime, the California-based company has been using Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center for Falcon 9 launches. Switching back to Pad 40 will free up 39A for the maiden launch of SpaceX\u2019s super-sized Falcon Heavy rocket, a closely watched event that\u2019s currently set for next month.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Blastoff! SpaceX Launches ISS Resupply Mission with Reused Rocket, Capsule\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pcS2DC_V_w8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s robotic cargo resupply mission marks a big first for NASA and SpaceX. Previous trips to the space station have relied on brand-new Falcon 9 boosters for their sendoffs, but SpaceX has been steadily building up an inventory of first-stage boosters recovered from past launches.<\/p>\n<p>This time around, NASA gave its first go-ahead for the reuse of a \u201cflight-proven\u201d booster. This one first flew on a space station resupply mission (with a different refurbished Dragon) in June. The Dragon for this mission flew to the space station and back to Earth in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s space station program manager, Kirk Shireman, said the risks of flying a refurbished booster are about equal to those associated with a brand-new booster, although they may be different types of risks. If the mission turns out as expected, NASA may continue using flight-proven boosters.<\/p>\n<p>Launch was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was delayed to give SpaceX\u2019s team more time to make sure the rocket was in good condition.<\/p>\n<p>Rocket reusability is a key part of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk\u2019s drive to make dramatic reductions in the cost of access to space&nbsp;\u2014 and eventually blaze a trail for affordable missions to Mars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the beginning of rapid and reliable reusability. \u2026 We want to be able to send thousands of people into space, not just tens, and so reusability is a very key part of that,\u201d Jessica Jensen, SpaceX\u2019s Dragon mission manager, said during a pre-launch briefing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_384364\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-384364\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-384364\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-landing-630x473.jpg\" alt=\"Falcon 9 landing\" width=\"630\" height=\"473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-landing-630x473.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-landing-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/171215-landing.jpg 959w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-384364\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX\u2019s flight-proven Falcon 9 booster touches down at Landing Zone 1 in Florida. (NASA Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster flew itself back to SpaceX\u2019s Landing Zone 1, not far from the launch pad in Cape Canaveral. That marked the 20th recovery of a Falcon 9 booster, with 14 of those recoveries coming this year.<\/p>\n<p>The Falcon 9 booster\u2019s return was heralded by a barrage of sonic booms that could be heard along Florida\u2019s Space Coast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLZ1, the F9 has landed,\u201d SpaceX\u2019s launch team reported.<\/p>\n<p>With all the logistical firsts, it\u2019s easy to gloss over the main point of this week\u2019s mission: delivering 4,800 pounds of cargo and material to support scores of science investigations on the space station. Among the payloads due for delivery are:<\/p>\n<p><strong>A machine<\/strong> created by a company called Made In Space that\u2019s designed to demonstrate the production of fiber-optic filaments in the station\u2019s zero-G environment. The experimental hardware could lead to large-scale manufacture of high-quality optical fiber for applications in space as well as on Earth:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Making Fiber Optics in Space\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T1GKvVbulAg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>An experiment<\/strong> to study how bone cells grow in the presence of a new kind of surgical bone adhesive called Tetranite. Researchers say zero-G provides a particularly good setting for simulating osteoporosis and seeing how well the adhesive works for boosting bone structure:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tetranite\u2122 - Soon to be the First Osteoconductive Bone Adhesive\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yN6vIzZuV18?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>A <\/strong><strong>drug delivery system<\/strong> that researchers hope can eventually be used to combat the muscle-wasting effects of long-term spaceflight. During the Dragon\u2019s stay at the station, the implantable system will be tested on live mice:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rodent Research in Microgravity\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wUgBiEgF138?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>An instrument<\/strong> known as the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor, or TSIS-1. Its five-year mission: to measure the total amount of sunlight that falls on Earth and analyze how that light is distributed across wavelengths ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. The observations will help scientists monitor climate shifts and atmospheric phenomena such as ozone loss:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASA Measures All the Sun\u2019s Energy to Earth\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GKLU8YHSnlc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>A space debris sensor<\/strong> that will be mounted on the station\u2019s exterior to monitor impacts caused by small-scale space debris over a period of two to three years. The experiment should give researchers a better sense of the risks posed by objects smaller than 4 inches wide&nbsp;\u2014 which is the detection limit for ground-based sensors:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Space Debris Sensor\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V7YcSre8O-A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The uncrewed Dragon capsule is due to make its rendezvous on Sunday, when astronauts will use the station\u2019s robotic arm to pull in the spacecraft for its berthing. Over the course of a month, the crew will unload the Dragon and fill it back up with about 3,600 pounds of cargo to be returned to Earth.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of its stay, the Dragon will be set loose for its descent and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. From there, it\u2019ll be brought back to shore for unloading \u2014 and then the round of refurbishment might well begin anew.<\/p>\n<p><em>This report was originally published on Dec. 11 and updated with today\u2019s launch.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (NASA via YouTube) For the first time, SpaceX has sent a refurbished Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station from a refurbished launch pad, atop a refurbished Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon lifted off at 10:35 a.m. ET (7:35 a.m. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1395,4434,717,190,316],"class_list":["post-18701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-dragon","tag-falcon-launch","tag-international-space-station","tag-nasa","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18701"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18701\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}