USA space firm SpaceX on Friday successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean after launching a Japanese commercial communications satellite into orbit. Despite the heat, the first stage did not blow up when it landed on a robot barge, named “Of Course I Still Love You”, which floated in the dark off the coast of Florida.
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It was filmed on April 8 after a space station supply run for Nasa.
This landing was considered more hard than last month’s – SpaceX’s first at sea – because the Falcon 9 rocket was boosting a mission to a much higher orbit.
Elon Musk’s private space company has been an unqualified success in most areas, but it’s struggled to stick the landings of its reusable rockets.
The company launched its Falcon 9 rocket successfully at 1:21 a.m., then crews watched as it hit its mark nine minutes later.
As the second stage moved into orbital position, the first stage fell back for the landing, firing its engine to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
After launch the first stage, the Falcon rocket, returns to Earth while the second stage continues on to put the satellite – JCSAT 14 – into orbit.
SpaceX is hoping to ramp up the number of launches. Tweet with another that said the company may need to increase its storage capacity.
A more dramatic feat – landing a 14-story-tall rocket ship on a barge floating in the Atlantic Ocean – was also successful. In December, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster rocket touched down on a landing pad on the ground.
Unlike the April mission, therocket flying on Friday would have little fuel left over forengine burns to slow its descent after sending the 10,300-pound(4,700 kg) television broadcasting satellite into orbit. However, on Monday, CEO Elon Musk upgraded the chances to “maybe even” just before launch.
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Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 rocket’s launch of the JCSAT-14 satellite was proceeding according to plan. Replacing another of SKY Perfect’s satellite, the new one will serve Asia, Oceania, Russia and the Pacific Islands.
