Created 23-Dec-23
Modified 27-Dec-23
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On December 23, 2023 at 12:33 am ET, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This was the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew Demo-2, ANÄSIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3, and now 14 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster landed on SpaceX’s drone ship Just Read the Instructions positioned off the coast of The Bahamas.
Full story here
from spaceflightnow.com:
A piece of America’s space history is now on the ocean’s floor. During its return voyage to Port Canaveral in Central Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster toppled over and broke in half.
This particular booster, tail number B1058, was coming back from its record-breaking 19th mission when it had its fatal fall. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Dec. 23 carrying 23 Starlink satellites. The booster made a successful landing eight and a half minutes after launch on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions which was stationed east of the Bahamas. SpaceX said in a statement on social media that it succumbed to “high winds and waves.
The company stated that “Newer Falcon boosters have upgraded landing legs with the capability to self-level and mitigate this type of issue.
In a separate post, Kiko Deontchev, the Vice President of Launch for SpaceX, elaborated by added that while they “mostly outfitted” the rest of the operational Falcon booster fleet, B1058 was left as it was, “given its age.” The rocket “met its fate when it hit intense wind and waves resulting in failure of a partially secured [octo-grabber] less than 100 miles from home.”
“We came up with self-leveling legs that immediately equalize leg loads on landing after experiencing a severe tippy booster two years ago on Christmas,” Deontchev wrote, referring to the first flight of the B1069 booster. “One thing is for sure, we will make lemonade out of lemons and learn as much as possible from historic 1058 on our path to aircraft-like operations,” he added.
This was the 19th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew Demo-2, ANÄSIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3, and now 14 Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster landed on SpaceX’s drone ship Just Read the Instructions positioned off the coast of The Bahamas.
Full story here
from spaceflightnow.com:
A piece of America’s space history is now on the ocean’s floor. During its return voyage to Port Canaveral in Central Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster toppled over and broke in half.
This particular booster, tail number B1058, was coming back from its record-breaking 19th mission when it had its fatal fall. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Dec. 23 carrying 23 Starlink satellites. The booster made a successful landing eight and a half minutes after launch on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions which was stationed east of the Bahamas. SpaceX said in a statement on social media that it succumbed to “high winds and waves.
The company stated that “Newer Falcon boosters have upgraded landing legs with the capability to self-level and mitigate this type of issue.
In a separate post, Kiko Deontchev, the Vice President of Launch for SpaceX, elaborated by added that while they “mostly outfitted” the rest of the operational Falcon booster fleet, B1058 was left as it was, “given its age.” The rocket “met its fate when it hit intense wind and waves resulting in failure of a partially secured [octo-grabber] less than 100 miles from home.”
“We came up with self-leveling legs that immediately equalize leg loads on landing after experiencing a severe tippy booster two years ago on Christmas,” Deontchev wrote, referring to the first flight of the B1069 booster. “One thing is for sure, we will make lemonade out of lemons and learn as much as possible from historic 1058 on our path to aircraft-like operations,” he added.
© Dennis Huff
