Category: First Stage Landing
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SpaceX launches Koreasat 5A, doubles previous year launch count
SpaceX continued their record settings year with the launch of the Koreasat 5A payload today from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. This was the 16th launch of the year for SpaceX doubling last years launch total with potentially three more to come and was the 13th landing with the first stage returning to the Autonomous…
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SpaceX completes Iriduim-3 launch
This morning SpaceX completed the third of their Iridium Next launches delivery another ten satellites to orbit. As with the previous Iridium launches the rocket lifted off from SpaceX’s Vandenburg launch site at 8:37 am EDT. Once in orbit, the ten satellites were delivered to their destinations successfully. After separation, the first stage of the…
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SpaceX CRS 9 launches
The second launch of International Space Station Cargo this weekend was completed successful this morning following the successful delivery to orbit of the Dragon capsule. Following a smooth countdown the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 12:45:29 am EDT today propelling the Dragon capsule to orbit, the first stage then returned to the Cape for…
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SpaceX continues 2016 launch campaign
SpaceX continued it’s 2016 campaign with the successful launch of the Thaicom 8 satellite this evening. Originally scheduled for yesterday 5/26 the launch was postponed to allow more time to investigate an issue found during the countdown. @SpaceX There was a tiny glitch in the motion of an upper stage engine actuator. Probably not a…
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SpaceX nails the GTO Landing
SpaceX successfully launched the JCSAT 14 satellite this week for SKY Perfect JSAT, and once again landed the Falcon 9 first stage on the ASDS “Of Course I Still Love You”. Unlike the landing during the CRS-8 mission this was more complicated due to the speed of the first stage booster at separation. According to…
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SpaceX achieve another important milestone
While driving to work this morning I heard how SpaceX suffered another setback yesterday due to the destruction of the first stage after it landed. It seems to me that people are focusing on the wrong thing here, yes the end result of the EXPERIMENTAL LANDING was a failure because they were not able to…
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The Re-usable Rocket Era approaches
While SpaceX have yet to successfully land a Falcon 9 first stage it appears their vision has spurred the industry to react with both United Launch Alliance (ULA) and now Airbus Aerospace announcing plans to include re-usable components in future rocket designs. The three companies have quite different plans to achieve the re-use. SpaceX – Plan…
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SpaceX Landing Attempt
For the second time SpaceX attempted to land a Falcon 9 first stage on the Autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) named “Just Read the Instructions”. For this attempt the rocket got very close but didn’t survive the attempt, the first time the rocket tipped over just before landing causing it to fall over the side.…
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SpaceX CRS-6 mission lifts off
SpaceX completed it’s fourth launch of 2015 with the liftoff of the CRS-6 Dragon capsule towards the International Space Station. SpaceX confirmed that after separation from the second stage the Dragon spacecraft successfully deployed it’s Solar Array’s and is now heading towards the International Space Station. It is scheduled to arrive at approximately 7:00 a.m. EDT on…