SpaceX launches 2 European navigation satellites, lands rocket (video)
- by Space.com
- Sep 17, 2024
- 0 Comments
- 0 Likes Flag 0 Of 5
— SpaceX inks landmark deal to launch European navigation satellites: report
On the April Galileo launch, the Falcon 9's first stage did not try to make a safe landing; rather, it ditched into the sea, lacking the fuel to steer itself back for a vertical touchdown.
Tonight's mission is sending the satellites to the same distant orbital destination. But SpaceX learned enough from the first Galileo liftoff to bring this Falcon 9 home in one piece.
"Data from that mission informed subtle design and operational changes, including mass reductions and trajectory adjustments, that will allow us to safely recover and reuse this booster," the company wrote in the mission description, which it posted before tonight's launch.
"This landing attempt will test the bounds of recovery, giving us valuable data on the design of the vehicle in these elevated entry conditions," it added. "This in turn will help us innovate on future vehicle designs to make our vehicles more robust and rapidly reusable while expanding into more challenging reentry conditions."
Editor's note: This story was updated at 7:45 p.m. ET on Sept. 17 with news of successful launch and booster landing.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Please first to comment
Related Post
Stay Connected
Tweets by elonmuskTo get the latest tweets please make sure you are logged in on X on this browser.
Sponsored
Popular Post
Tesla: Buy This Dip, Energy Growth And Margin Recovery Are Vastly Underappreciated
28 ViewsJul 29 ,2024