Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully landed a Falcon 9 rocket, so we can now officially call the CEO the real-life Tony Stark. Only a real world Iron Man could get into this many business ventures and actually succeed.
It’s Been a Long Time Coming for SpaceX and the Falcon 9 Rockets
After two failed landings this year, SpaceX has finally done it. The astrological community is having a party over this successful landing. This December 21, the company launched a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, and its second stage came back to Earth to land victoriously that night.
The first stage put 11 satellites in space for Orbcomm, a SpaceX customer. The footage of the rocket’s landing is all over the internet, and it brought Elon Musk and company an unexpected victory. The CEO did not believe at all that it could make a safe landing.
Elon Musk is Like a Real Life Tony Stark
The present-day Tony Star was quoted as having run out to the causeway just to watch the landing. At first, it seemed like the rocket wouls explode, but upon closer inspection, he saw the astounding video of the rocket landing on the pad.
SpaceX made a live webcast of the entire ordeal, as would be customary of any venture headed by Elon Musk. Hawthorne released amazing photos of the launch and landing shortly after the webcast ended, and it captures the entire journey for those who couldn’t watch the light show life.
There are two specific long-exposure views that show the Falcon 9 as arcs of brilliant light. The rocket left the launching pad at 8:29 PM EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, carrying 11 communication satellites for Orbcomm. After putting the satellites in orbit, the second stage of the rocket made its return to Earth surface.
Elon Musk Could Not Believe the Falcon 9 Rocket Had Succeeded
Landing a Falcon 9 has been the company’s only ambition since 2002. Their goal is to mass produce a reusable rocket that would enable a city to be built in Mars one day. The rocket, which cost around $16 million to build has a propellant that only cost $200K. Space flight could actually be commercialized if they manage to make a reusable rocket.
All Other Falcon 9 Landing Attempts Ended in Dust
The two previous attempts to land a Falcon 9 ended in explosions, so there was little faith that this trial would succeed. In the end, it looks like the problem was with performance. The rocket launched yesterday received a performance upgrade and increased boost thrust, a deep cryo oxidizer and a bigger upper stage engine bell. It looks like it did the trick. The upgraded rocket also featured a few enhancements to its reliability, including better stage separation and better structural safety margins.
Upgrading the Falcon 9 was all they needed to do to make a successful landing. There has been a lot of arduous work put into these efforts, and they are finally paying off. SpaceX is proven to be more resilient than expected.
SpaceX Had To Move Fast to Catch Up to Blue Origin
The urgency to have a successful landing didn’t just come from Elon Musk’s promises to NASA and other clients. Last month, Blue Origin was able to successfully land a rocket that was perfectly reusable. Headed by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, this battle is akin putting Iron Man against The Mandarin. Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft made a successful landing, but it did not reach orbit like the Falcon 9 did.
What’s Next for this Falcon 9 Rocket?
The next step is to test the returned Falcon 9 rocket for reuse. If it can fly again, then Elon Musk can really talk to NASA about commercializing space travel, and we could be seeing trips to the moon in the next ten years. It could even happen sooner. This particular rocket will probably be tested for flying in 2016 again.
Until then, it’s pretty much Elon Musk’s new teddy bear. It’ll keep investments coming, which will certainly help him sleep better at night.
