In a tweet, Musk said “touchdown speed was ok” but the latch on one leg did not fastened properly ‘so it tipped over after landing’.
Advertisement
Falcon 9, the most recent SpaceX rocket to attempt a landing after delivering a satellite into orbit, tipped over on impact and exploded.
The California company said on Twitter Sunday that data now show that the rocket’s first stage landed softly within 1.3 meters of the center of the 300-by-170 foot landing pad.
Even though an ocean landing is more hard, SpaceX wants to ideal the technique to land rockets on drone ships.
The worldwide mission Jason-3, a US-European oceanography satellite mission with NASA participation, will continue to monitor and precisely measure global sea surface heights, observe the intensification of tropical cyclones and support seasonal and coastal forecasts, the US space agency said in a statement.
SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, is NASA’s launch service provider of the Falcon 9 rocket.
The attempt marked the third time SpaceX tried – and failed – to land a rocket on a floating ship.
The first attempted boat landing was nearly exactly a year ago, and ended with the rocket stage striking the barge at an angle and exploding.
Because the payloads are so heavy, the two Falcon 9 rockets won’t have enough fuel to fly back to the coast and attempt an on-land landing. “Am optimistic about upcoming ship landing”.
The US space agency NASA then confirmed the Jason-3 satellite “ready for science operations!”
Following years of testing and failed landings, the company reached a milestone in December with a successful ground-landing in Florida, a key step for SpaceX, according to Mr Musk.
The private spaceflight company SpaceX did successfully launch an ocean studies satellite called Jason 3 into orbit yesterday (January 17, 2016).
Falcon lands on droneship, but the lockout collet doesn’t latch on one the four legs, causing it… After the botched landing, Mr. Musk, SpaceX’s founder, chief executive and top designer, sent a Tweet stressing that it is “definitely harder to land on a ship”, which he compared to the difference between aiming for “an aircraft carrier vs. land…”
Advertisement
SpaceX on FlickrPhoto of Sunday’s rocket landing attempt, seconds before touch down.
