Up until recently, there had been very few RTLS (Return To Launch Site) SpaceX missions. This is where a Falcon 9 first stage boosts back toward the coast after separating from the second stage and then lands at Cape Canaveral. The first month of 2022 brought an end to this RTLS drought! In January, there were two such missions: Transporter-3 on Jan. 13 and CSG-2 on Jan. 31. In … [Read more...]
To Nona & Beyond: Türksat 5B Launch From Lake Nona
On Dec. 18 at 10:58 p.m., SpaceX’s Türksat 5B mission took to the skies. On board the Falcon 9 rocket was a 4,500-kg. (~9,900-lb.) communication satellite manufactured by Airbus Defense & Space. The satellite’s purpose is to provide telecommunication and broadcasting services to various countries in Afro-Eurasia. The mission was ultimately a success. The first stage, … [Read more...]
To Nona & Beyond: The CRS-23 Mission
On the peaceful early morning of Aug. 29, we gazed east to watch SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket illuminate the sky. Approximately eight minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage B1061-4 successfully landed on an autonomous barge out in the Atlantic Ocean. The next day, CRS-23’s Cargo Dragon capsule reached the International Space Station – delivering 4,800 pounds of science … [Read more...]
To Nona & Beyond: SpaceX’s New Drone Ship
On July 15, SpaceX’s long-awaited autonomous spaceport drone ship named “A Shortfall of Gravitas” (ASOG) arrived at Port Canaveral. A drone ship serves as an ocean-based landing platform for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster. However, unlike all previous drone ships, ASOG has the capability to autonomously navigate to the appropriate landing zone and make its way back to port! This is … [Read more...]