Hawthorne-based SpaceX released new, enhanced video of it’s latest attempt to land a booster rocket after lofting a payload into space.
The Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched a resupply mission to the International Space Station Tuesday, but failed to land safely on a floating barge in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Canaveral, FL
The company has been working on a process for recovering booster rockets in hopes of re-using them, instead of losing them into the ocean. Success would dramatically lower the cost of spaceflight.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk wrote on his Twitter page that while the booster rocket landed on the barge, it came down “too hard for survival,” .
“Looks like Falcon landed fine, but excess lateral velocity caused it to tip over post-landing,” Musk wrote.
It was the third time the company has attempted to recover a booster rocket.
Meanwhile, the Dragon resupply craft is scheduled to arrive at the space station at 4 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday.