Barge ship scheduled for use in the launch of the Falcon9 rocket[Courtesy of SpaceX]
Reusable space rocket project ‘SpaceX’ is making another attempt to land its rocket. Only this time, the landing would be made on a barge ship.
SpaceX’s Falcon9 rocket had successfully landed on ground, after taking off and releasing a small satellite in orbit in December 2015. SpaceX’s aim is to have the rocket’s engine part successfully recovered by making a soft landing to have the engine used again. This process could reduce the total cost of sending a rocket into space since vital parts are reusable.
According to SpaceX’s announcement, the rocket company will launch its Falcon9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will be carrying NASA’s Jason-3 satellite on board. After deploying the satellite in low orbit, the Falcon9 rocket will return to a drone ship.
Although the last attempt to land on the ground had succeeded, landing on a ship isn’t going to be easy. The ship floating in an ocean will be moved by waves making it unstable. SpaceX had failed last two attempts to land the rocket on a ship, its rockets turning into big ball of flame.
SpaceX did not clarify on why the company tries to land the rocket onto a ship, experts of the industry says that it’s a smart move for SpaceX because its rocket can turn into an exploding fireball when landing. To minimize damages, it is best attempted on an unmanned ship.
Falcon9’s launch is scheduled for January 17. If rain falls, the launch will be delayed.
아주경제 박세진 기자 = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
