SpaceX sent a rocket into space carrying a commercial Japanese communications satellite, then successfully landed the returning portion of that rocket on a barge in the Atlantic off Florida’s coast Friday — the second time the Hawthorne- based company pulled off such a challenging landing.
SpaceX had predicted that it wouldn’t make the landing, saying that since the satellite was being delivered in high orbit, the first-stage booster would encounter high velocity and high heat on re-entry.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 10:21 p.m. Pacific time Thursday, carrying a JCSAT-14 satellite operated by the Japanese communications company SKY Perfect JSAT Corp. Replacing another of SKY Perfect’s satellite, the new one will serve Asia, Oceania, Russia and the Pacific Islands.
The landing of the returning rocket so that it can be used again came a month after SpaceX first accomplished the feat. A previous attempt had failed. SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk’s plans to reduce launch costs by using reusable rockets.
Musk said last week that SpaceX’s first mission to Mars could be less than two years away.
—City News Service