Unlike any NASA launch vehicle, the first leg of the Falcon 9 flew and then came back and landed back on the ground.
The launching pad, from which the rockets were launched to the moon, as well as 82 space shuttles into orbit, is again open for operation. This happened thanks to the launch on Sunday of SpaceX, which delivered the cargo to the ISS.
After a delay of the day it took to assess problems with the upper stage of the rocket’s steering tip, the 30th Falcon 9 rocket started at 9:39 am EST from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (FL).
“It was a super exciting day,” said Dragon Mission Manager Jessica Jensen. “It's amazing to see how the platform 39A returns to operation for the first time after the launches of the shuttles.”
The launch complex was built in the 1960s under the Apollo program, and then transferred to launch space shuttles flying from 1981-2011. After the last launch in July, NASA began looking for a partner and selected SpaceX instead of Blue Origin. Blue Origin has since begun working on another site, located south of the Kennedy Space Center and the Air Force station at Cape Canaveral, and is building a rocket production plant in the industrial park.
The launch on Sunday was the 29th for the company, as they lost their 30th rocket due to the September 1 explosion, also damaging their main launch point at Cape Canaveral.
Having a new panel for operation, the SpaceX team can focus on restoring the previous one, in order to use it for commercial satellite launches. And 39A will be the start for NASA's cargo missions.
Unlike the previous 95 launches, the Falcon 9 rocket returned to the ground 9 minutes after the launch. This is the eighth successful return.
The company plans to launch its first flight (as they like to say “summer trials”) in March, to take another step in the development of the legendary launch pad 39A.
