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(CNN) – Bad weather at sea overturned one of the three boosters used during the
Launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy
rocket last week.
The propeller landed on a platform off the coast of Florida after the successful launch of the rocket on Thursday. But the equipment was knocked down during a storm as it returned to shore this weekend, according to SpaceX.
"When the situation worsened with swells from 8 to 10 feet, the recall started to change and was finally unable to stay upright," the company said Tuesday. "We had hoped to bring the recall back intact, but the safety of our team always takes precedence, and we do not expect future missions to be affected."
This fall was a failure in another successful mission: the first use of Falcon Heavy by the company since its first flight in February 2018. The Falcon Heavy, which is the most powerful operational rocket in the world, was used to place a satellite of Saudi Arabia. Arabsat, an internet-based radio and television provider, in orbit.
SpaceX is the only rocket company to land safely after orbital missions. Its ability to recover thrusters like the one that landed at sea this weekend is a critical selling point, as the company says reusable equipment helps reduce launch costs.
CEO Elon Musk said that making rockets work more like planes, which use expensive equipment on multiple flights, is the key to reducing access to space. Boosters alone account for about 60% of the price of a rocket, said Musk.
It is not known how much the booster was damaged during its fall, but significant damage could be costly to SpaceX.
It is unclear how much SpaceX boosters cost or how much SpaceX is spent on the renovation of used equipment. But its rockets are particularly cheap. Falcon Heavy costs $ 90 million, for example, and is about one-third the price of its closest competitor, Delta IV Heavy from United Launch Alliance.
When asked on Twitter whether the overthrown Falcon Heavy reinforcement would be a "total loss," Musk said the recall engines "seemed to be working well, pending inspection."
SpaceX regularly reuses boosters from its deadly thrower, a single column rocket called Falcon 9. The Falcon Heavy essentially uses three Falcon 9 boosters attached together, creating new technical challenges.
The three rocket cores are assembled during takeoff and are designed to separate after launch and guide you to safe landings: both side boosters make synchronized landings on Florida ground platforms, while the central thruster is aiming for a safe landing. autonomous platform a droneship.
Both boosters landed safely last week, as after the inaugural Falcon Heavy flight last year.
But the recall of the center proved difficult for the recovery efforts. After the first mission, he missed the drone and splashed himself into the ocean.
Last Thursday, the booster landed safely on the drone, nicknamed "Of course, I still love you". And while the SpaceX team members were trying to keep the recall steady during the return trip, this plan was canceled when the drone ship encountered "rough sea conditions," according to the company.
Musk tweeted on Tuesday that a special robot designed to attach rocket boosters while they were rolling to the coast was not able to hook into the Falcon Heavy core.
The "mounting accessories are different" for Falcon 9 boosters, compared to those used for a modified Falcon Heavy core, said Musk. He added that the new versions were not "ready in time" for the Arabsat mission.
Musk said in a separate tweet that the nose cone of the Falcon Heavy, or fairing, which protects the satellite during launch, was also found safely after being parachuted to a soft landing in the ocean. He said that SpaceX could
on an upcoming mission.
The-CNN-Wire
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