The most recent SpaceX rocket booster touched down gently on the deck of a ship in the Atlantic Ocean on May 6, but was already damaged too much by what CEO Elon Musk called “high entry velocity” to meet the goal of reusability. Although probably not in shape to launch again, Falcon 9’s landing proved that SpaceX can recover boosters that are intact. Musk said that the rocket will help SpaceX assess the flight-worthiness of other boosters they recover in the future.
The 14-story Falcon 9 booster was moved to a hangar at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, joining two other landed stages from previous missions. This third Falcon 9 mission delivered a Japanese communications satellite, JCSAT-14, into orbit 22,000 miles above the equator.
When the booster separated from the rocket’s upper stage it was traveling more than 5,200 mph. The first two missions were flown into low orbits that allowed for slower speeds of only 4,000 mph. The increased speed caused the most recent rocket to experience five times as much heat during its reentry through Earth’s atmosphere. SpaceX had warned that the speed and heat made a successful landing unlikely. However, the booster landed within 6 feet of its target.
SpaceX hopes that modifications to heat shielding and other systems can protect future rockets so that they can return to Earth in good enough condition to fly again without extensive rebuilding, which would dramatically lower future launch costs.
The next mission for SpaceX is set for May 26. A Falcon 9 will launch the Thaicom 8 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral and attempt to land the booster at sea. Two more launches in June may deliver cargo to the International Space Station and launch a communications satellite.