Well, isn’t this a particularly great time to be alive? Thanks to Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, we are about to witness a historical event this Thursday. The private space agency is gearing up to take another step closer to its over-achieving ambitions and has already conducted a static fire test for its Falcon 9 rocket.
The primary objective behind the formation of SpaceX was to work on the reduction of costs for space flights by reusing the rockets. It believes that if the launch vehicles can be reused, then it could reduce the costs down to fuel and labor for the next flight. This means it would enable more opportunities for space agencies to launch their payloads into space, due to the reduced costs.
Here, the launch vehicle is brought back down to the Earth’s surface, refurbished to nix out quirks, and then reused for another flight. This relaunch process is even expected to reduce time interval between consecutive flights if the company is operating using multiple launch vehicles. SpaceX is also known to be working on a more powerful version of the current launch vehicle, called Falcon 9 Heavy, which is capable of carrying even bulkier payloads and returning back to Earth. None of the rocket boosters are now expendable.
SpaceX has already shown us that it is now very capable of launching payloads and landing their launch vehicle safely both on a drone ship and on land. It, however, hasn’t reused any of the Falcon 9 rockets it landed back safely till date (one of them is even placed in the front lawns of the company HQ) . The company, operational since 2002, is now looking to finally end this prolonged wait this week by reusing the first Falcon 9 rocket it had landed on the drone ship in the Pacific ocean.
In a tweet shared by the SpaceX’s official Twitter handle, the company announced the date of its first reusable Falcon 9 rocket flight. It is aiming to launch the SES-10 communications satellite into space with the help of a used rocket on March 30 (i.e Thursday). Though Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has already completed a space flight with a used rocket back in 2016 but SpaceX would be the first private space agency to complete an orbital mission by reusing its rocket.
Luxembourg-based communications satellite company SES has been given the honor of being the payload carried by SpaceX’s numero uno reused Falcon 9 booster. The SES-10 satellite, which is being ferried at a discount for this historic launch, will be delivered into the geostationary orbit. It will provide direct-to-home broadcasting, broadband and mobile services in the following regions — Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Static fire test complete. Targeting Thursday, March 30 for Falcon 9 launch of SES-10. pic.twitter.com/0tZ7u6gngI
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 27, 2017
This launch, scheduled for Thursday, will be significant for SpaceX as Elon Musk’s ambitious re-usability plan for space flights will be proven credible. While the company has to encounter certain backlogs, such as explosions, in the past but it is now back on track and is looking to further build out its technologies and brand image. If this launch is successful, it will prove beneficial for the entire space community and make way for the extensive number of upcoming Moon missions.
In other interesting news, Elon Musk has launched a completely new venture called Neuralink and he is planning to convert humans into cyborgs in the coming years. He is currently working on a technology called neural lace, wherein a chip would connect with our brains and allow us to communicate directly with the computer. Musk, a true visionary, is surely building the future with his cohort of ventures.
