Tag Archives: SpaceX

SpaceX sticks the landing

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Alexander Szewczak

  SpaceX Dragon 9 booster lands safely on an autonomous floating platform, after launching a payload into space. Potentially a 10-fold reduction versus current launch costs.  Game.  Changer. Video at: https://youtu.be/sh8V0COrrzE?t=2129 And Blue Origin isn’t far behind. Update: The payload was the inflatable … Continue reading →

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SpaceX makes history by launching, then landing rocket booster

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Alexander Szewczak

A new age of space exploration dawns as SpaceX has for the first time landed a first stage rocket booster used on an orbital mission. Some estimate that launch costs can be reduced 10 or even 100-fold if boosters — and their … Continue reading →

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Fails

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Alexander Szewczak

 Today’s launch of a Dragon cargo capsule full of supplies for the International Space Station did not go well.  The Falcon 9 rocket exploded shortly before second stage ignition.  Video clip here. This was the first Falcon 9 failure after … Continue reading →

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Amazing photo of attempted landing of SpaceX rocket

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Alexander Szewczak

From space.com, a nice post recapping the last attempt to land a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster on an ocean-going drone platform: Over at io9.com there are some other interesting comments, too.

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SpaceX Rocket Booster Landing — Close, But Not Quite

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Alexander Szewczak

Yesterday’s landing attempt for the SpaceX Falcon-9 booster almost succeeded.  The rocket came down on the robotic recovery ship, but had too much lateral velocity and tipped over. Meanwhile, the main mission to resupply the International Space Station is on track for … Continue reading →

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SpaceX comes close, but doesn’t quite accomplish soft landing of booster rocket

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Alexander Szewczak

SpaceX successfully navigated its Falcon 9 booster rocket back to a floating platform Saturday, but the landing was too hard to count as a success.  However, “it bodes well for the future” says Elon Musk. The rocket “ran out of hydraulic fluid … Continue reading →

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SpaceX plans a reusable booster landing test …

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Alexander Szewczak

… on Saturday.  If all goes well, the SpaceX booster will land on a sea-based autonomous landing platform built from deep sea drilling rig components!

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Good day for SpaceX

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Alexander Szewczak

Friday SpaceX had a successful launch of a Dragon cargo capsule, and what looks like promising results from a controlled splashdown test of booster landing capability. Check out this video of the most recent land-based testing of the Falcon 9R: Really … Continue reading →

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To Infinity… and Back!

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Alexander Szewczak

Yesterday SpaceX launched its first satellite payload into geosynchronous orbit, at a price 75% lower than currently charged by other commercial launch providers.  Even more impressive is the fact that SpaceX has been steadily developing the required technology to slow down and … Continue reading →

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