SpaceX seeks to reach the first Falcon 9 to land in California, maybe even this year

Elon Musk's spacecraft filed a landing application for one of its Falcon 9 rockets at Vandenberg Air Base

SpaceX could soon see its first ground landing of A Falcon 9 rocket on the west coast. The private space company has recently requested a special temporary authority (STA) to land a Falcon 9 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, reports The Verge .

The application, filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 4, requests a license for an "experimental launch vehicle recovery operation." This means that SpaceX plans to launch the Vandenberg Falcon 9 and more later landing the ground rocket in the same facility – as opposed to landing a water landing on a drone ship.

"This STA covers the experimental operation of first-stage recovery, following a launch of the Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Base.This request is limited to the brief uplink command of A land-based antenna at the landing site at the launcher after landing ", reads in the FCC application.

In other words, the FCC is asked to allow SpaceX to use land. Vandenberg antenna to communicate with the Falcon 9 by radio and send commands to the rocket amplifier after landing, explains Spaceflight Now .

If the application is granted, it will be the very first touch The Verge

SpaceX may finally land one of its rockets on the California coast later this year https://t.co / JfuPZlsqnP pic.twitter.com/IRbn4oPuw3

– The Verge (@verge) July 6, 2018

Although we do not have a real date for which SpaceX provides to try this first Falcon 9 landing at Vandenberg, the license specifies a time interval between September 5 and 5.

According to both media, the private space company, led by billionaire technology magnate Elon Musk , has made up to 25 successful landings of the Falcon 9.

The majority of these landings, 14 of the first water landings, in which the first stage of the rocket is returned to a platform of landing parked at sea – after launching se Vandenberg is either from the Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida.

Only 11 Falcon 9 boosters landed and each of these landings took place in Florida on the East Coast. This includes the two side boosters recovered from the launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket in February, as reported by Inquisitr .

"Whichever option SpaceX chooses depends on the type of launch that takes place and the rocket has enough fuel to land. For example, returning to the ground requires more fuel than it does. A drone landing, so launches that consume a lot of propellant during the ascent usually have to land in the ocean (if all is), explains The Verge ]

In preparation for what would be the first Falcon 9 ground landing in California, SpaceX has already built a landing zone at Vandenberg, equipped with the following equipment. a circular concrete landing strip similar to the Vandenberg Landing Facility is located at the former Space Launch Complex 4-West, rented by SpaceX in 2015, and is 400 meters from the launch pad Falcon 9. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the company of Musk to land its Falcon 9 rockets at Vandenberg, after an investigation into the potential environmental impacts of booster returns concluded does not pose a significant threat for wildlife and local natural resources.