A couple of major milestones in NewSpace last week.
On Friday, SpaceX launched the THAICOM-8 communications satellite with a Falcon 9 rocket. After separating from the second stage, the first stage booster of the Falcon returned to earth for a successful landing on the platform of a special ship that maintains a fixed position autonomously. This is the third successful booster landing at sea. (There was also a successful booster return for a landing on the ground at Cape Canaveral last December.)
Here is a sped-up video from a camera attached to the first stage:
SpaceX launched a Japanese TV satellite from Cape Canaveral to geostationary orbit last night and also landed the first stage on a floating sea platform. This was a more difficult feat than its previous landing. The GEO orbit trajectory required a more energetic launch that meant the first stage was going faster and higher when it separated from the upper stage and had less fuel margin as well for slowing down. It was all done in the dark as well. But the booster stuck the landing right on the center of the X on the ship.
Here is a video for the SpaceX webcast from shortly before liftoff, through the landing, and to the shutdown of the upper stage when it reached orbit:
Here is a segment showing only the scenes from the landing:
An interactive 360 degree panoramic camera on the SpaceX sea platform allows you to look up and watch the Falcon 9 booster come down for its landing:
To get a better grasp of the size of the rocket, this video shows workers at Port Canaveral preparing the booster for transport to a hangar at the Kennedy Space Center:
A KSC tour group got a close up view from their bus:
Here’s a longer video showing the booster’s trip to KSC:
See earlier post with videos showing the booster returning to the port.
A nicely made video compilation of SpaceX Falcon 9 test flights that led to the successful landings of the first stage booster during orbital payload launches: