First recycled rocket journey: SpaceX hails revolution

New era of reusable rockets & cheap space travel begins with space tourism & flight to Mars coming soon.

SPACE TRAVEL

SpaceX hails 'revolution' after recycled rocket launch, landing

AFP News Agency
31-03-2017

California's SpaceX company has proven that rockets for space flight can be reused.

This breakthrough promises to radically reduce the cost of space flight.

This is a milestone in space travel that could lead to significant future cost savings.

Space tourism may even be a vacation option for many one day soon.

ROCKET REUSABILITY MEANS COST SAVINGS 

What is significant is that a segment from one of company's Falcon 9 rockets was re- flown.

The tall, columnar portion known as the first stage or booster segment of the rocket had already propelled a payload into orbit from Florida's Kennedy Space Center 11 months ago.

Until now, rockets have been expendable with the various segments composing the rocket being thrown off and destroyed during an ascent.

The plan now is to recover the expensive first-stage segment of the rocket and re- fly it many times to reduce costs and save money.

WHAT EXACTLY TOOK PLACE?

The slightly scuffed Falcon 9 rocket soared into the sky over Cape Canaveral, Florida at 6:27 pm.

The rocket was on a mission to send a communications satellite for Luxembourg-based company SES into a distant orbit.

About 10 minutes after the rocket launch, the re- used rocket powered its engines down and landed upright on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean marked with the words "Of Course I Still Love You."

Screams and applause erupted at SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne as the groundbreaking mission was completed.

NINTH SUCCESSFUL TOUCHDOWN OF FIRST STAGE ROCKET

The landing marked the ninth successful touchdown of a first stage rocket for SpaceX -- six on ocean platforms, or drone ships, and three on land.

It also marked the first time a single rocket booster had ever been launched -- and landed -- twice.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk hailed a "revolution in space flight."

PRIVATE COMPANIES WORKING TO MAKE SPACE EXPLORATION CHEAPER

Private companies like SpaceX and its competitors are scrambling to make space exploration cheaper and more efficient.

SpaceX, the California- based company headed by visionary entrepreneur Musk, has for 15 years been honing the technology of powering its boosters back to careful Earth landings on solid ground and in the water.

The goal of the entire effort, Musk has said, is to make rocket parts just as reusable as cars, planes or bicycles.

HUMAN COLONIES ON MARS

He said it is also a crucial part of his plan to one day establish human colonies on Mars.

"It is an amazing day, I think, for space (and) as whole for the space industry," Musk said in a video message after the launch.

"It means you can fly and re- fly an orbital class booster which is the most expensive part of the rocket," he added.

"This is going to be ultimately a huge revolution in space flight."

COST SAVINGS

Currently, millions of dollars' worth of rocket parts are jettisoned after each launch.

SpaceX officials have said that re- using hardware could slash costs -- with each Falcon 9 launch costing over $61 million -- by about 30 percent.

While the exact life of the re- used boosters is uncertain, Musk said they could be redeployed anywhere from 10 to 100 or even 1,000 times, depending on how much refurbishment is needed.

BLUE ORIGIN OF AMAZON: SPACEX COMPETITOR

SpaceX competitor Blue Origin, run by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, has also successfully landed its New Shepard booster after launch, by powering its engines to guide it down for a controlled, upright landing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39451401

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