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SpaceX recounts past mistakes before next barge test landing
Everyone at SpaceX must be crossing their fingers right now, as the company prepares for another barge landing attempt on Sunday, June 28th. While CEO Elon Musk said the original droneship was fine after an earlier effort ended up in flames, this Sunday's trial will use a new one named "Of Course I Still Love You," also taken from an Iain M. Banks sci-fi novel like its predecessor's. In an effort to ensure the upcoming venture's success, the company took a long, hard look at its previous mistakes. The company has just published a post on its website not only explaining how its Falcon 9 rockets were designed to be able to fly back home from the get-go, but also revisiting its failed barge landings in January and in April.
Air Force certifies SpaceX to bid for military space missions
Making peace with US Air Force and dropping charges against the agency has paid off for SpaceX. Its Falcon 9 rocket has finally been certified, giving the company the right to compete for national security launches. Elon Musk's space corp has passed every requirement set by the Air Force, after a couple of years (and a few months of delay), lots of paperwork and tests. According to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, this certification allows more than one provider to compete for military launches, which is expected to cost the branch $70 billion until 2030, for the first time in around a decade. "Ultimately, leverage of the commercial space market drives down cost to the American taxpayer and improves our military's resiliency," she said in a statement.
SpaceX gets the all-clear to launch most NASA science missions
After three long years, SpaceX finally has approval to launch most of the US' scientific missions. NASA tells Spaceflight Now that it recently greenlit the use of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for "medium-risk" payloads, which covers all but the most valuable cargo. That rules it out of launching missions destined for places like Mars, but it also opens the door to more opportunities for Elon Musk and crew. Although they already have government contracts, they should have a much easier time getting that all-important space agency business. The company won't have to wait long to prove its chops, either. A Falcon 9 will carry Jason 3, a satellite meant to measure ocean roughness, in late July. [Image credit: SpaceX/Steve Jurvetson, Flickr]
Leaked barge video shows SpaceX rocket landing up close
Another day, another video angle looking at the almost-landing of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. This time, the video is from the barge itself, although there's no word on exactly how it got from there to a post on Reddit. Whatever its provenance (SpaceX has not commented yet) it certainly appears to be legit and gives us the closest view yet of exactly what happened. According to Kanye West biographer CEO Elon Musk, despite the rocket's explosive ending the "droneship" is fine, with no hull breach and in need of only minor repairs. Enjoy this video, since as we mentioned yesterday, SpaceX may make its next rocket landing attempt on land.
Here's video of SpaceX's rocket landing, and the explosion
Yesterday SpaceX made another unsuccessful try at landing a Falcon 9 first stage on a barge in the ocean, but the fuzzy Vine clip posted cut off right before things got exciting. Today, the company posted a longer, higher res video but quickly pulled it from YouTube. Now, you can see exactly what happens when one of those 200-foot tall rockets misses the mark. Yesterday CEO Elon Musk said the issue "should be easy to fix", and judging by the video it wasn't far off from success. If you need any more reasons to stay optimistic, SpaceX COO told DefenseNews that the company's next landing attempt may come on land instead of at sea, because of the difficulty in keeping a rocket upright on a moving barge -- as we all can now see. Update: The official video is back, and you can watch it after the break.
SpaceX rocket launched successfully, landed 'too hard for survival'
Today SpaceX successfully launched its latest mission to the International Space Station, but couldn't reach its goal of safely landing the rocket's first stage on a barge. According to CEO Elon Musk, while the ascent was successful, the "Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival." There's no video of the landing attempt yet, but hopefully soon we'll be able to see how close it came. This outcome isn't entirely unexpected, as Musk tweeted yesterday that the chance of a successful landing by the end of the year stands at 80 percent only because the company has so many launches planned. NASA video replaying the launch is embedded after the break. Update 3: The video is here, watch the full landing -- and explosion now.
SpaceX's next try at landing a reusable rocket is minutes away (update: take 2)
In January, Elon Musk's SpaceX came close to a controlled landing of one of its rockets after a quick trip to space, before things took a fiery, explosive turn for the worst. Today, assuming all goes well and those X wing fins remain powered, it will try again. A launch scheduled for 4:33PM ET will send supplies to the International Space Station as a part of the CRS-6 mission, before the Falcon 9's first stage will try to land itself on a barge in the ocean. Creating rockets that can used again could help cut the cost of sending stuff to space, so there's a lot at stake beyond just looking cool in its Grasshopper demos. The launch will be webcast live starting at 4:15PM (the video feed is embedded after the break) although we'll have to wait a bit longer to see if the landing is successful. Update: No launch today due to weather (Elon Musk tweeted it's "due to lighting from an approaching anvil cloud"). The next launch attempt is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:10PM ET. Update (4/14): The next launch attempt is about to take place, with SpaceX calling the weather "60% for a go." As we saw yesterday, lightning and clouds can derail things quickly, but take a peek after the break for the live stream, which is scheduled to begin at 3:50PM ET. Update 2 (4/14 4:27PM): The CRS-6 mission has successfully launched. By now the first stage should have returned to Earth, but there's no live feed from the barge to know if it was successful or not. Once we hear word if it's landed we will update to let you know. Update 3 (4/14 4:45PM): Still no video, but the word is in from Elon Musk -- the rocket landed too hard for survival.
SpaceX's 4K rocket footage is a great excuse for an upgrade
Not sure if you need a new high-res display? The 4K footage SpaceX just posted of its rocket launches might be enough to push any reasonable person over the line. It's on YouTube, predictably, and even if your connection or hardware is merely HD-ready it's still an incredible experience. It's embedded after the break -- press play, expand to full screen and enjoy.
Two Xprize rivals will share a trip to the Moon
Just because the Google Lunar Xprize is hotly contested doesn't mean that the competitors always have to be at each other's throats. Astrobotic and Hakuto have announced a partnership that will have Hakuto's rovers (Moonraker and Tetris) "piggyback" on Astrobotic's lander when it hopefully reaches the Moon in the second half of 2016. The two sides will still compete when they touch down, but they're setting it up as a race -- during a conference call, Astrobotic noted that it would wait for the other rovers to give them a fair shot and get some extra camera footage. The new allies aren't saying exactly how they'll split the prize if they win, but Hakuto can still get the lion's share.
SpaceX launches DSCOVR but scrubs its barge landing
SpaceX has good and bad news for you space lovers. The good news is that a Falcon 9 rocket has finally launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite or DSCOVR, which has been waiting for years in storage. Bad news is that the stormy weather forced the company to abandon its plans to land the rocket on a barge named "Just Read the Instructions" (after the space ships from Iain M. Banks' sci-fi novels) that's currently floating 370 miles off the coast of Florida. The company wanted to use this opportunity to make a second attempt at landing on a drone ship after its first one ended in flames -- launch was even scrapped twice due to less than ideal conditions. But in the end, everyone involved decided they couldn't wait any longer, forcing SpaceX to make a soft water landing instead.
SpaceX and Air Force make peace, more rocket launches now up for grabs
SpaceX and the US Air Force have reached an agreement regarding a lawsuit filed by the former, but really, it's more of a victory for Elon Musk's company. What lawsuit, you ask? It's the one the commercial space company filed against the Air Force for not giving it a chance to bid for rocket launches meant for the military's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. Musk even accused an Air Force official of being bribed with a vice presidential position that led to awarding United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, a sole contract. Now, the Pentagon has agreed to improve "the competitive landscape" for "national security space launches," which is good news not only for SpaceX, but also for its rivals.
Recommended Reading: A closer look at the 2015 Oscar nominations
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Breaking Down the Oscar Nominations: What the Hell Happened to 'Selma'? by Mark Harris Unless you took a week off from the internet, you're well aware that this year's Oscar nominations were announced a few days ago. While Selma did earn nominations for Best Picture and Best Song, the film that depicts Martin Luther King Jr.'s marches from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery in 1965 was mentioned only twice. Grantland's Mark Harris takes a closer look at the full list to see what other categories should've included Ava DuVernay's picture.
SpaceX's rocket landing test was a big success, despite the fiery explosion (update: video)
Elon Musk has just tweeted the first photos of the Falcon 9's "close but no cigar" hard barge landing to fellow rocket enthusiast and Oculus VR evangelist John Carmack. After saying the frames were "kinda begging to be released," he tweeted out four of them, amusingly recounting the progress of the doomed 14-story-tall ship. The problems started when the rocket section's fins "lost power and (went) hardover," which the engine couldn't counter, resulting in a 45 degree angle crash into the deck. All hell broke loose after that, as "residual fuel and oxygen combine(d)," followed by a "Full RUD (rapid unscheduled disassembly) event," aka a fiery explosion. Update: SpaceX has provided us with a Vine showing the entire crash landing, which shows how fast it went from "looking good" to "oh crap." We promise it does not disappoint -- check it out below.
SpaceX lands its rocket on a barge, but a reusable Falcon 9's still far off
"Close, but no cigar." That was how SpaceX founder Elon Musk described his company's first attempt at landing the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage on a barge in the middle of the ocean. To be clear, it wasn't a complete disaster: the first stage didn't disintegrate or crash into the water, but it did land too hard on the platform and (according to some reports) broke when it hit the ground. As to what exactly went wrong, Musk revealed on Twitter that the grid fins, which steered the structure onto the platform and stabilized it in the air, ran out of hydraulic fluid right as the stage was touching down. He said the flight next month is already loaded with 50 percent more hydraulic fluid, so the second landing attempt could achieve a result closer to what SpaceX wants.
Watch SpaceX launch its Falcon 9 rocket and try to land it on a barge (updated)
Very soon at around 6:20 4:47 AM EST today SpaceX will launch one its mighty Falcon 9 rockets carrying a Dragon capsule, weather permitting. "Big deal!" you may well say. "What's another rocket launch?" We're sure you're not that jaded (they're all amazing) but this one is pretty special. After the Dragon is up and away doing its thing (carrying ISS cargo, to be exact), the 14-story tall first stage will attempt to make a precision landing on an ocean platform only 300x100 feet in size. Though the Falcon 9 has touched down on the ocean before, this is the first precision barge landing it'll make. Even the normally brash Musk said "the odds of success are not great -- perhaps 50 percent at best." That makes things extra exciting, so grab your popcorn and check the video below. Update: the Falcon 9 launch and recovery has been aborted, apparently due to some kind of issue with the second stage. The next launch window could be as early as this Friday. Update (01/10/15) by Mariella Moon: SpaceX is on track to launch the Falcon 9 rocket in a few minutes and then land the first stage on a barge when it makes its way back down. If all goes well, Elon Musk will finally be able to party at Cocoa Beach today. Update (01/10/15) by Mariella Moon: The launch was a success! Well, sort of. Dragon 9's first stage landed too hard on the barge, but Elon Musk says it "bodes well for the future."
SpaceX is going to land a rocket on a 'spaceport' barge
SpaceX's next test flight hopes to land one of its Falcon 9 rockets on a platform -- in one piece. The company puts the odds of success at around 50 percent "at best" but it's apparently a major step towards reusable space rockets - and cheaper trips to space. While it's already been able to demo two soft water landings, on a solid surface (and one that's not tethered to anything), things get trickier. The rocket will be coming in at a speed of around 1,300 meters per second, making stabilization, well, tricky. "Stabilizing the Falcon 9 first stage for reentry is like trying to balance a rubber broomstick on your hand in the middle of a wind storm."
SpaceX's reusable rockets get help from 'X-wing' fins and drone ships
SpaceX's reusable rockets already have a few tricks up their metal sleeves, but it looks like they're getting at least a couple more. Elon Musk has revealed that his company is testing new technologies that will assist future Falcon 9 launches, including "X-wing style" control fins and a drone ship. The fins deploy on reentry and give the rocket better maneuvering than it would have through engine power alone. The robot boat, meanwhile, amounts to an "autonomous spaceport" -- it uses thrusters from oil rigs to provide a safe, stable landing pad (and eventually, refueling station) in situations where a ground facility isn't an option. Musk hasn't said when this vessel will go into use, but you can expect to see the Falcon 9's new controls in action on its next flight.
NASA records Falcon 9 rocket's descent as research for Mars landings
NASA wants to refine the ability of future spacecraft to land on Mars, since they'll have to ferry humans and other large payloads to the red planet. To that end, the agency has teamed up with SpaceX to record thermal camera footage of the Falcon 9 rocket as its first stage detaches and burns through the atmosphere. The first stage of a rocket is typically its largest part and what's ignited at launch -- once it runs out of propellant, it separates from the upper stages, usually as the rocket nears the boundary between our planet and outer space. Its descent back to Earth presents Mars-like conditions, which means data collected from the footage could, in NASA's words "provide critical engineering information for future missions to the surface of Mars."
SpaceX rocket malfunctions and explodes during 'complex' test
No one ever said rebooting spaceflight was going to be easy. The SpaceX team might know that better than anyone, especially on a night like this: one of the company's experimental F9R rockets malfunctioned in a test flight over McGregor, Texas and automatically aborted by self-destructing. Thankfully, the system kicked in before the rocket could veer off course, so there were no injuries (or near-injuries, as SpaceX was quick to point out) and no damage was inflicted. At time of writing there's no word on just what sort of anomaly prompted the F9R to terminate its flight, but SpaceX plans to dig into the flight data to figure out just what went south.
Rocket recycling: watch SpaceX's Falcon 9 fly back to Earth
Back in mid-July, one of SpaceX's two-stage Falcon 9 rockets blasted off from Cape Canaveral to deposit a series of 6 Orbcomm satellites in low earth orbit. In case you're not terribly familiar with how these things work, it's the rocket's first stage (and its 9 Merlin 1C engines) that does most of the heavy lifting, and SpaceX hopes that these expensive boosters can be recovered and reused. We caught a glimpse of that particular Falcon 9's first stage splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean thanks to a camera mounted on the rocket itself, but SpaceX posted a video today that gives us a look at the events from a different angle -- specifically, from a chase plane coming along for the ride. Sadly, the plane lost sight of the first stage just as it tipped over and fell into the water, but the rest of rocket's journey was well documented. Hitting the water compromised the booster's hull, though the data collected gave SpaceX confidence that it'll ultimately be able to land one of these things safely on dry land.
