Monday, May 14, 2018

SpaceX Successfully Launches, Lands New Rocket Design

Hawhorne-based SpaceX, the rocket and spacecraft developer led by technology mogul Elon Musk, successfully launched and landed a brand new rocket design on Friday, while successfully delivering a satellite into orbit for Bangladesh. SpaceX put its new Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket into space from Cape Canaveral at 4:14 p.m. EDT, successfully deploying the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 into space for Bangladesh. The first stage of the new Falcon 9 Block 5 landed on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You. The new Falcon 9 Block 5 is specifically designed for reusability, with the rocket designed for quick re-launch with only inspection and no reconditioning, and--with some routine component replacements--are designed for hundreds of launches over the lifetime of each rocket.