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SpaceX brought back the Falcon 9 booster B1056 safely and lifted the rocket after successfully supporting the 18th Cargo Dragon mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The safe return of the B1056 is not a surprise, but it is still a relief after minor problems caused the overthrust of the Falcon Heavy B1055 core a few weeks ago. SpaceX's "Octagrabber" robotic was visibly attached to the latest Falcon 9 booster, taking advantage of compatibility not available with the Falcon Heavy core. According to NASA and SpaceX, the resumption of the booster weighed on the minds of both parties because it wanted to reuse the B1056 in future Cargo Dragon launches.
"To be honest, [NASA] had a direct interest. "
"To be honest, [NASA] had a direct interest in this particular reminder. We were going to demand it – the intention is to [reuse it for SpaceX’s upcoming CRS-18 launch] and – potentially – CRS-19. "
Kenny Todd, Head of Operations and Integration ISS, NASA Johnson
NASA ISS director Kenny Todd explained the space agency's position in the mission. Several press questions focused on a launch cleanup that pushed CRS-17 from May 3rd to May 4th. Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Flight Reliability for SpaceX, said that SpaceX is moving towards a concept of operations in which upstream recovery is just as important and necessary as any other technical aspect of the launch.
In other words, when the SpaceX drone of course, I still love you (OCISLY) suffered a rare hardware failure that hindered its redundant power supplies, NASA had no qualms about accepting the company's decision to cancel the launch attempt. In fact, confirming the enlightened speculation previously published on Teslarati, NASA had "a vested interest" in the successful recovery of the B1056. According to Todd's comments, NASA is unequivocally asking SpaceX to carry out its next Cargo Dragon mission – CRS-18, NET mid-July – on the recently proven flight propeller. NASA is even willing to fly on the B1056 for the third time on CRS-19, pending the conditions and availability of the booster.
Unique in SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 fleet with exceptionally smooth return and recovery, the B1056 is expected to be easily reusable in support of future NASA missions. In fact, out of the three (up to five) additional CRS1 Cargo Dragon missions still under contract, there is no immediate technical reason to assume that the Falcon 9 B1056 can not be involved in the majority of these launches, if not all. d & # 39; them. NASA, of course, has the last word in which the Falcon 9 missions will begin, but the apparent opening of the agency at the launch of a two-flight booster opens the door to boosters at three flights and beyond.
Spatial curiosities and curiosities Falcon
The return of B1056 also offered a unique – if not unprecedented – glimpse of what was probably a purge of TEA / TEB, the pyrophoric fluids that Falcon 9 uses to ignite its Merlin engines. Normally, SpaceX recovery technicians probably perform this purge while they are still hundreds of miles away at sea. The drone ship perched at OCISLY just a dozen kilometers from Port Canaveral and the Florida coast may have prevented this, resulting in a rare number of controlled fireworks in the harbor. The sight of naked flames under a newly discovered rocket has caused immediate and understandable concern to viewers, but the process seems to have been both systematic and controlled by SpaceX.
On a smaller note, SpaceX also appears to have launched at least one minor hardware change (visible) on the B1056, using a new hybrid method to link the top of the Falcon 9's liquid oxygen tank to its interstage (the black section). . SpaceX is proud to continually improve all aspects of its rockets and spacecraft. This change is therefore more of a small visualization of this strategy than a major revelation.
The next step for SpaceX, however, is a launch that may well be a revelation for observers. The mission – Spacelink's official debut in launching Starlink – is the first of several dozens of launches planned over the next five years or so. According to people familiar with the problem, the quantity and weight of the Starlink satellites that will be on board the Falcon 9 could overshadow all expectations, especially after the launch by the first competitor of OneWeb, which placed only five satellites in orbit. Starlink-1 (no official name) should not be launched until May 13, although delays in launching CRS-17 may delay this goal by several days.
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