SpaceX has taken yet another foray into orbit with its successful launch late Tuesday afternoon. While the main portion of the launch was golden, one aspect was less than spectacular. Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, has been attempting to bring rockets safely back to the ground. This is the second attempt, the other earlier this year, and both have failed to fully control the rocket. The rocket was due to land on a floating barge positioned out in the Atlantic Ocean. Initial landing went well, but there seems to be too much lateral velocity and the rocket subsequently tipped over.
The ability to reuse rockets is one of the greatest challenges for space exploration and have not successfully been done to date. Typically a used rocket will be broken up in space or will fall back into one of the Earth’s ocean. In both cases the rockets are rendered unusable. Should Elon Musk’s company succeed, it would drastically reduce the cost of sending things into orbit. This would allow routine resupply missions to the International Space Station, which SpaceX is contracted to carry out, to become more frequent and less costly.
Part of the contract with NASA, called the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability, will be used to transport humans to and from the ISS. The Falcon 9 will be “human rated” allowing the U.S. to use a private commercial company instead of relying on Russia to send individuals into space. SpaceX initially tried using parachutes to bring the rocket back down but this method did not meet expectations. They are currently using rocket propulsion to maneuver the rockets onto the barges.
How much will this change space travel? In 2004, Elon Musk stated that he believes the possibility of $500 per pound to ship things into space is achievable. Current prices are more than triple that, at approximately $1800 per pound. On the upshot, the Dragon, which was carried by the Falcon 9 rocket system, made its trip successfully and is expected at the ISS tomorrow. Among other things, astronauts about the ISS can expect a treat: an Italian Espresso Maker dubbed the ISSpresso.
Coffee and the skies — what could be better? Here’s to sitting with your morning coffee and appreciating the surreal skies in this timelapse:
https://youtu.be/eHsJ8hZ4WgI
