SpaceX's International Space Station resupply launch was a success, but it won't be able to recover the rocket. Elon Musk said that the part of the rocket the company hoped to land on its "drone boat" in order to eventually reuse did indeed make it back to the ship, but the rocket landed too hard to be saved.Musk said the rocket "landed fine," but it tipped over after landing.
Ascent successful. Dragon enroute to Space Station. Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival.
Still, it's another step forward in the march toward Musk's eventual plan to make his rockets reusable, an important goal for the future of spaceflight. With a reusable rocket, you can theoretically fly more often (depending on how much time it takes to get the rocket ready for its next flight), and you're wasting a lot less money (assuming the rocket is in good shape when it lands).Until now, he hasn't been able to do it.That said, this is the first time the rocket has actually landed on the ship, meaning there's probably just some light tinkering to do.
Gif by Jason Koebler
At this point, International Space Station refuel missions are seemingly routine for SpaceX. Its Falcon 9 rockets have never crashed, and the company is trying to get into the military satellite launch game as well.There are no guarantees in spaceflight, but, considering SpaceX's track record, successful launches seem to be a given at this point. Now, most of the excitement surrounds whether or not the company can become the first to ever recover a rocket. It'll try again later this month.We'll update this post if we get video.
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