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SpaceX Dragon Launches Successfully, But No Rocket Recovery

Posted by Soulskill on from the trying-difficult-things dept.

New submitter monkeyzoo writes: SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft en route to the International Space Station with supplies (including an Italian espresso machine). This was also the second attempt to land the launch rocket on a barge, but that was not successful. Elon Musk tweeted that the rocket landed on the recovery ship but too hard to be reused. Video of the launch is available on the SpaceX webcast page.

4 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Landed OK but tipped over by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 4, Informative

    Musk tweeted here that the rocket landed fine but there was residual lateral velocity that tipped it over after landing. The photos on that tweet are worth looking at.

    Obviously, now they have to work on fine positioning with elimination of lateral velocity before it comes down on the barge. Not an easy problem, especially given that the first stage doesn't have much Delta-V in its cold gas reaction control thrusters and does most of its positioning with the grid fins and the engine. Which means using more fuel. Hopefully there's enough, or room for building up the RCS.

    --
    Bruce Perens.
    1. Re:Landed OK but tipped over by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well, the video is up on SpaceFlightNow, and it cuts off before the rocket tips over. Yes, we have no reason to believe there was anything left.

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      Bruce Perens.
  2. They say it is daft him trying to land it on water by HannethCom · · Score: 4, Funny

    The first one hit hard and sank into the water.
    The second one touch down fell over and sank into the water.
    I predict the third one will burn down, tip over, then sink into the water.
    But the fourth one, that will stand!

    --
    Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon what's the difference? All steal money from devs and control with walled gardens.
  3. Kudos for Musk by bughunter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is an achievement. Take it from an old rocket grognard, a veteran of Amroc, Orbital, and others: just getting this far is an accomplishment.

    And it's smart of Musk to append a test operation onto a paying mission. The launch fee for the ISS delivery offsets a major portion of the cost of the test.

    And in a test sequence, close does count, because all data gathered is useful. And often, data from a failure is more useful than data from a success.

    "Success is a lousy teacher; it seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." —Bill Gates

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    I can see the fnords!