Space-X rocket lands and then tips over while landing
Another one I'm afraid, a Space-X rocket tipped over while landing on a sea platform. The Falcon-9 rocket exploded during its landing on a sea platform. This was the 3rd failed attempt. Unfortunately news as weeks ago there was one attempt that succeeded.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX shared a video of all this on his instagram account. It shows that the rocket lands pretty good, but during the landing one of the support stands simply caves in.
The Falcon 9’s first stage, which stands 14 stories tall and measures 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter, flew on course to the drone ship Sunday after liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The booster jettisoned from the Falcon 9’s upper stage, which continued into orbit with the Jason 3 oceanography satellite for U.S. and European science institutions, then flipped around and slowed down before reaching the landing platform.
The rocket’s center engine, one of nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9 first stage, fired to put on the brakes just as the vehicle approached the drone ship named “Just Read the Instructions” after a starship featured in science fiction writer Iain Banks’ novels.
Officials admit landing on a ship presents more challenges the returning than booster to land, but if SpaceX eventually aims to recover and reuse all its Falcon 9 boosters, the barge is essential.
“Definitely harder to land on a ship,” Musk tweeted Sunday. “Similar to an aircraft carrier vs land: much smaller target area, that’s also translating & rotating.”
Senior Member
Posts: 6034
Joined: 2010-10-17
Playing real life KSP. It's a learning curve, but they'll get there eventually.
Senior Member
Posts: 2843
Joined: 2009-09-15
That's some bad QC on those support stands. Still better than EK's tho..

They were really close if it hadn't caved in. I'm sure they will make the same mistake next time.

Senior Member
Posts: 13234
Joined: 2004-05-16
That's some bad QC on those support stands. Still better than EK's tho..

They were really close if it hadn't caved in. I'm sure they will make the same mistake next time.

Condensation from the fog in the morning supposedly froze the collet and stopped the leg from locking the way it should have. Not so much bad QC but definitely an engineering oversight.
Senior Member
Posts: 4019
Joined: 2008-09-07
What a waste.
Senior Member
Posts: 3095
Joined: 2008-01-06
Barge landing def looks tougher to do than land, however every attempt so far on barges seem to improve, its only a matter of time before they successfully land on one.
I believe the next two launches are going to require a barge landing, I wouldn't be surprised if they do it in one of those two attempts