A SpaceX Falcon 9 suffered a disastrous fate this week due to stormy seas.
The American aeronautical giant SpaceX can count on quality launchers, one of the best known of which is surely the Falcon 9. This reusable two-stage rocket has become in recent years the one that takes off the most from the planet, with 60 takeoffs in particular. alone in 2022, or almost a third of all global orbital launches that year (186 in 2022). Unfortunately, space activity is not without risk, whether upon departure or even upon returning to Earth!
A rocket fallen into the sea
It was a routine mission. A few days before Christmas, on December 23, SpaceX launched a new Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Loaded with 23 satellites, it left the Earth’s surface under normal conditions, and carried out its mission without any clashes.
His return a few days later also went smoothly, with the usual landing on a barge in the open sea carried out successfully. Unfortunately, certain elements still remain beyond human control, such as the weather at sea. The barge had to face very rough seas during its return trip, seas which ultimately broke the launcher in two, with a part that sank into the water.
The Falcon 9 B1058 was a veteran
SpaceX quickly communicated on the subject, announcing the news, while explaining that in the future this type of problem could be avoided.
“ During transport to port early this morning, the propeller overturned on the droneship due to strong winds and waves. The new Falcon boosters feature improved landing legs that are capable of self-leveling and alleviate this type of problem » detailed the company on its X account.
It must be said that the Falcon 9 in question was of an “old” generation. Registered B1058, it made its 19th takeoff this December, which constitutes a record. This launcher was also a historic tool for the United States, since it was that of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission, which in 2020 marked the country’s return to the launch of manned flights, an activity which had been during a decade delegated to Soyuz rockets.
Source : Space X on, CNet
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