The aerospace company will now be attempting to land and reuse all of the rockets it launches.
Over the weekend… SpaceX launched and landed its second Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The landing of this vehicle, designed with reusability in mind, marks the beginning of a completely recyclable era of rockets for the company.
It’s just rocket science: The Block 5 can be used hundreds of times if recovered successfully. Now that the company has transitioned to this more reusable model, recovery will be an even more crucial part of the launch. In a two week period, it’s planning five recoveries.
What’s next: The Block 5 is undergoing upgrades that will add helium tanks to the launch vehicle. This upgraded version is what SpaceX plans to use to launch humans to the ISS. Once the alterations are complete, seven test flights will take place before astronauts can hitch a ride. And while SpaceX is making strides towards crewed space flight, its competitor Boeing is hitting some setbacks.
SOURCE:MIT DOWNLOAD REVIEW
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