Watch the Falcon 9 rocket booster descend into the ocean for its "soft" landing (w/ Video)
Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - 08:30
in Earth & Climate
SpaceX today released video from the Falcon 9 first stage flyback and landing video from the July 14 launch of six ORBCOMM advanced telecommunications satellites. This was a test of the reusability of the Falcon 9′s first stage and its flyback and landing system. It splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, and SpaceX called it a "soft" landing, even though the booster did not survive the splashdown. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted on July 14 that the rocket booster reentry, landing burn and leg deployment worked well, but the hull of the first stage "lost integrity right after splashdown (aka kaboom)." He later reported that detailed review of rocket telemetry showed the booster took a "body slam, maybe from a self-generated wave."