SpaceX on Friday blasted off its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a communications satellite to a distant orbit, before attempting to land the first stage of the rocket on an ocean platform.
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But the space company will tonight try for a fifth time to send the SES-9 satellite up in its Falcon 9 rocket.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the SES-9 communications satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 4, 2016. We’re awaiting word on an attempted first stage landing.
For years, SpaceX, founded by tech entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk, has been attempting to disrupt the space market by developing rockets that could fly to space, and then land so that they could be reused. “Didn’t expect this one to work (v hot reentry), but next flight has a good chance”, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later tweeted.
And there’s at least one potential bright side: We might soon see some footage from Musk or SpaceX of the rocket trying (and failing) to land on the ship.
In return for the delay, SES secured an adjustment in the Falcon 9’s flight profile to give the satellite an extra boost of speed during the launch.
After some frustrating postponements over the past week and a half – including a last-second abort on Sunday – the company’s Falcon rocket left its Florida pad right on cue on Friday.
“Rocket landed hard on the droneship”. The SES-9 satellite was dropped off at high altitude and will use its own propulsion to travel to its intended orbit.
There were plenty of cheers, nonetheless, as the second-stage successfully lifted the satellite higher and higher, and even more when the satellite separated successfully in full camera view. The expectations of a successful landing were low from the start of the mission. These are considered much easier than landings on the sea platform, as the ground remains flat and doesn’t move, while the drone ship can be uneven. The company’s next rocket launch, a resupply mission for the International Space Station, is expected to blast off in a few weeks.
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The trip, initially scheduled for February 24, was delayed numerous times – most notably once when a tugboat pulling a barge wandered into the “no-go” zone.
