Reuse in May-June: results SpaceX CRS-8

Record landing in 4K (2160p).

At Cape Canaveral yesterday had great weather to start: warm, about twenty-five degrees, almost no clouds and wind, without the chance of precipitation. Without any interference at 23:43 Moscow time (at 16:43 local) from Launch Complex SLC-40 has come off the rocket Falcon 9 Full Thrust. On top of it was Dragon ship with supplies for the International Space Station, experiments, equipment and inflatable module BEAM in unpressurized

«trunk». As a result of the planned work of the two stages of the launch vehicle space truck is on the way to the station. On Sunday, he will approach a sufficient distance so that you can catch robomanipulyatorom and docked to the nadir node "Harmony" module. It means a lot after a failed launch in June 2015, during which the previous "Dragon" has been lost. BEAM dock on April 15-16 and deployed May 25-26.

But it is not only in the successful launch of the cargo ship, which had hundreds. The first stage of the rocket has fulfilled her allotted time, turn the engine off and separated. She performed the maneuver on quenching rate. Then SpaceX made one more attempt to put the first stage on the sea spaceport. For the first time landing in the sea has ended successfully.

Planting itself is not the first. Do not blow the Falcon 9 first stage the company has turned out in December last year. Then it failed landing on a purpose-built complex at Cape Canaveral, not far from the launch site. At this time landing on Cape permitted flight parameters. But we chose the autonomous vehicle.

At a press conference after the launch of the head of SpaceX Elon Musk explained why landing on a floating platform still is fulfilled. The fact that the first stage after the separation has great speed. To repay it, you need a lot of fuel. And it is necessary to remove the payload, that is to launch large loads and / or high orbit with an interesting customer inclined. Therefore, to achieve re-use need to learn how to fit into the ocean.

Half of the future starts will be on land, the other half - in the ocean. Perhaps, once the number of landings in the sea will fall to third or even a quarter, but the technology still need to work. In addition, not always the flight path passes over the sparsely populated territories.



This landing was a success. Not an easy task when you consider the scale of the rocket, its speed and tiny barges. Musk said that the company was confident of a good chance of success - two to one. We fix all faults that have demonstrated previous attempts. If something happened, then for some reason the new.

In this floating landing spaceport Of Course I Still Love You rocked by 2-3 degrees - not so much. The SpaceX can easily get to the rocket not tip over when landing at angles twice, and if you try -. And three

The ultimate aim of improving the landing rocket parts is a significant reduction in price of start-ups. The fact that a huge price clearance of cargoes at the Earth's orbit is largely comprised of the cost of disposable rockets. Road transport would also be expensive, if after each trip brand new car to go to the dump. In comparison with the cost of the aircraft, refueling - a penny. Testing of landing the first stage - a fundamental step towards the conquest of the stars, according to the SpaceX

Onboard view of landing in high winds pic.twitter.com/FedRzjYYyQ- SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 9, 2016 g.Posadka camera. on F9-023. Visible grid fin, which the descent stage rulila.

But in December, planted stage already will not fly. It is and remains a talisman that kind of success, the first dollar buyer who shopkeepers hang framed on the wall. Is this a tall mascot even need a permit for it. The fact that the central office SpaceX in Hawthorne, California is located close to the airport, and the installation of such high objects require authorization of relevant bodies.

But in the second planted already have a chance to re-use. Musk said that the stage will arrive at the port on Sunday. And the question of its re-use will be considered. To do this, at Cape Canaveral will hold a series of ten test the engine running. And if these ten tests show positive results, the stage will fly again.

Musk called the best time to run the May or, most likely in June. In the future, SpaceX hopes to use the old stage a few weeks after the last flight. Perhaps once the rocket will generally start up almost as fast as passenger airliners. For example, Boeing 747 takes off again after some hours after the previous flight.


Musk tweeted this video, but quickly removed. In the video superimposed sound of the song "I'm on a boat", a parody group The Lonely Island on cliches of rap videos.

First start with who returned the first step is not strictly experimental. Perhaps someone will fly a satellite. So far, the question of admissibility and customer choice are discussed. Previous data suggest that SpaceX is preparing to sell startups to use the first stage of the $ 43 million instead of the usual 61 million for the flight's new Falcon 9.

re-use of resources is high. As Musk says, without replacements parts should have 20, with small updates, you can get close to a hundred startups.

Object secured on the ship, so it does not overturned - possible high winds. So, on Sunday in the space Dragon will dock with the ISS, and the world stage will come to the port. Four landing support collapsed, stage lift crane and lead to a horizontal position. And now, then the question arises about those ten test inclusions.

Congrats SpaceX on landing a rocket at sea. It's because of innovators like you & amp; NASA that America continues to lead in space exploration.- President Obama (@POTUS) April 8, 2016 GS successfully mask congratulated US president.

For SpaceX still have a lot of work. The failure of last June has broken the schedule starts. To catch up with him now to be accelerated. In the third and fourth quarter of the Falcon 9 will soar into the sky once every couple of weeks. And despite the fact that the company have time to work out issues of re-use and future large to SLS rocket Falcon Heavy. Plans to re-use the latter would require planting once three separate parts of the rocket.

Elon himself time to take part in SolarCity and guide Tesla Motors. Manufacturer of electric cars recently introduced electric Model 3. Dream mask remains the achievement of Mars. At a press conference he gave new information about the plans of the Martian missiles, which he promises to show in September.

The next two planting also will be on the ship, and then at one of the launches of the first stage will be put on the land.

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Source: geektimes.ru/post/274052/