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Staging usually results in everyone\u2019s attention switching to the second stage and passenger as they sprint away into space, leaving the first stage to head towards its eventual demise. However, SpaceX aims to change the game, with ambitions to not only return the stages for a landing, but to eventually reuse them, thus reducing costs.<\/p>\n
While the business case \u2013 and future technology applications, such as landing on Mars \u2013 drives SpaceX forward, the effort has also captured the public\u2019s imagination.<\/p>\n
NASASpaceFlight.com\u2019s forum already has several million views for discussion threads relating to SpaceX reusability development while the CRS-6 mission broke the site record for the number of visitors during a launch.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-19-153901\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-153901-350x227.jpg\")
Testing the technology required to achieve that goal has been ongoing for a number of years, involving test rockets at its McGregor test site in Texas, through to incremental testing with the v1.1 version of its Falcon 9.<\/p>\nSpace Shuttle models
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Numerous additions, from landing legs to grid fins, have helped refine the return of the stage via lessons learned from the initial \u201cboost back\u201d data gained during the early v1.1 missions.<\/p>\n
The goal is to bring the stages back to landing pads near the launch sites. However, SpaceX is initially testing the technology via landings on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) located off the Florida coast.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-03-172515\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-03-172515-350x227.jpg\")
Successfully landing on the ASDS will prove the stage\u2019s return capability, before switching to landings on terra firma.<\/p>\nIronically, the ASDS landings have been classed as more challenging, with numerous additional considerations to take into account, such as the stability of the ship in the ocean at the point of touchdown.<\/p>\n
While the first stage involved with the CRS-5 mission came close to a landing, the CRS-6 first stage proved to be the best ASDS landing attempt to date.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-19-154115\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-154115-350x216.jpg\")
Per a landing attempt, numerous tasks have to be successfully conducted by the stage post-staging, the first of which was observed via the live coverage of the launch, as the stage used its Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters to rotate the core to allow its engines to face the direction of travel.<\/p>\nIn total, the stage was tasked with three burns to reduce its velocity and begin the dive towards the ASDS.<\/p>\n
The first descent burn lasted 27.68 seconds, beginning at four minutes and 29.19 seconds after liftoff to reduce the distance the stage was travelling downrange.<\/p>\n
Six minutes and 31.63 seconds after launch, grid fins on the first stage were deployed to stabilize its descent, with a second burn beginning 12.17 seconds later to slow the vehicle during reentry.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-19-151447\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-151447-350x221.jpg\")
The third and final burn took place as the rocket approached its landing target, beginning at eight minutes and 0.12 seconds mission elapsed time.<\/p>\nAlmost twenty-four seconds into the burn the rocket deployed its landing legs with touchdown six seconds later; eight minutes, 30.01 seconds after liftoff.<\/p>\n
As seen in released videos, the stage conducted all of its tasks successfully, as it closed in on the deck of the ASDS. However, the stage failed to nail its landing due to a \u201cslower than expected throttle valve response,\u201d per comments made by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, resulting in a hard landing.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-19-151609\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-151609-350x236.jpg\")
While the landing was far more accurate and smoother than the CRS-5 attempt, the stage failed to land safely on all of its legs \u2013 despite a valiant attempt by the stage\u2019s Attitude Control System (ACS) thrusters to correct the angle.<\/p>\nThe stage eventually toppled over and exploded on the deck.<\/p>\n
The ASDS, as designed, did not suffer serious damage and will be cleaned up and ready to set sail in June.<\/p>\n
That next landing attempt will come via the CRS-7 mission to send another Dragon on a resupply mission to the ISS. While the chances of a successful landing, securing of the stage on deck via chains and arrival back in port will likely remain \u201c50\/50\u201d, Mr. Musk believes SpaceX is getting closer.<\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-19-151659\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-151659-350x230.jpg\")
\u201cA stable landing is no problem with proper throttle response,\u201d he added, showing a video of a smooth landing conducted by the F-9R Dev-1 test vehicle that was housed the SpaceX\u2019s McGregor test center.<\/p>\nA successful landing during the CRS-7 mission may also allow for the first projected attempt to return a stage to land, with the rocket tasked with lofting the Jason-3 satellite provisionally pencilled for a debute landing at SLC-4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base.<\/p>\n
SpaceX also plans for a second ASDS on the West Coast and has confirmed the goal of landing stages on the East Coast, at Cape Canaveral\u2019s SLC-13.<\/p>\n
The first stage to safely return will be put through its paces at its test base at Spaceport America in New Mexico. <\/p>\n
![\"2015-04-19-151319\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2015-04-19-151319-350x250.jpg\")
Those tests will be used to find hardware limits, such as how many cycles can be put on a stage while the second successfully recovered booster would provide the role of qualification testing.<\/p>\nShould the recovery efforts progress, the first launch of a reused booster is likely to occur in late 2016.<\/p>\n
Next up for SpaceX is the April 27 launch of Turkmen\u00c4lem communications satellite. Due to the high-performance requirements of this mission, a landing attempt won\u2019t be made with the first stage.<\/p>\n
This launch was to be conducted ahead of the CRS-6 mission. However, issues with the helium pressurization bottles (COPVs) resulted in the decision to launch the ISS mission first.<\/p>\n
The rocket set to loft the TurkmenAlem52E\/MonacoSat 1 (TurkmenSat 1) mission uphill is already in SpaceX\u2019s Cape hanger undergoing processing, with the key Static Fire test currently set to take place next week, with a NET (No Earlier Than) date of April 22.<\/p>\n
SpaceX then plans to launch the Dragon 2 test vehicle on the Pad Abort Test per their Commercial Crew development milestones, before the CRS-7 \u2013 and next landing attempt \u2013 on June 19.<\/p>\n
(Images: via L2\u2019s SpaceX Section, including renderings created by L2 Artist Nathan Koga \u2013 Click here for full resolution F9, F9-R, FH and BFR renderings and more \u2013 these are not official SpaceX images. Other images from SpaceX)<\/p>\n
(Click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/ \u2013 to view how you can support NSF\u2019s running costs and access the best space flight content on the entire internet)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30166,"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":[2304,479,311,316],"class_list":["post-39361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-crs","tag-falcon-9","tag-reusability","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39361"}],"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=39361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}