A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on a NASA cargo run to the International Space Station on Friday, and its reusable main-stage booster landed on an ocean platform minutes later in a dramatic spaceflight first.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Florida on a NASA cargo run to the International Space Station on Friday, and its reusable main-stage booster landed on an ocean platform minutes later in a dramatic spaceflight first.
The successful autonomous touchdown of the booster at sea marked another milestone for billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and his privately owned Space Exploration Technologies in the quest to develop a cheap, reusable rocket, expanding his edge in the burgeoning commercial space launch industry.
1. Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule being loaded
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The day before launch, Dragon was loaded with "late load" cargo in advance of the April 8, 4:43pm ET launch attempt to the International Space Station. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
2. Falcon 9 and Dragon ready for blast off
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Falcon 9 and Dragon vertical on Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, FL. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
3. Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule on their way to ISS
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The liftoff at 4:43 p.m. EDT (2043 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Station also marked the resumption of resupply flights by SpaceX for NASA following a launch accident in June 2015 that destroyed an earlier cargo payload for the space station. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
4. SpaceX also plans to debut a heavy-lift version of the Falcon rocket this year
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SpaceX plans to start launching rockets about every two weeks from its sites in Florida and California later this year as the company tackles satellite-delivery orders worth some $10 billion. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
5. Elon Musk estimates each Falcon 9 booster should be good for 10 to 20 launches
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The cargo ship that lifted off on Friday, a capsule dubbed Dragon, was due to arrive on Sunday at the space station, the $100 billion laboratory flying about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
6. The rocket booster returning to landing pad
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A live video feed broadcast on NASA television showed the rocket booster, its four landing legs extended, descending over the ocean before settling itself upright on the barge-like platform, roughly eight minutes after launch. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
7. And we land!
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The reusable rocket booster should arrive back in Florida on Sunday and will be test-fired about 10 times, then likely re-launched, probably on a commercial flight, as early as May, Musk said. (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
8. POTUS Obama congratulated on Spacex for the achievement
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President Obama hailed the latest accomplishment on Twitter, saying, "Congrats SpaceX on landing a rocket at sea. It's because of innovators like you & NASA that America continues to lead in space exploration." (Image Credit - SpaceX Flickr account)
