After a series of successful landings on a platform in the ocean, the Falcon rocket (Falcon) this time failed to repeat the results.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket broke off from Florida on Wednesday to install a pair of communications satellites into orbit, but a minute later failed to land on a platform in the ocean.
The rocket made two similar high-speed returns to Earth in May and two landings with less demanding near-earth missions in April and December.
The December landing was the first and so far only SpaceX's only landing on the ground. The team intends to repeat this feat again in July after sending the cargo ship to the International Space Station.
Live broadcast on Wednesday showed the last seconds of the launch of the first stage of the rocket to the SpaceX floating landing site, located in the eastern Atlantic Ocean at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the company's space center. Thick smoke obscured the view, which raises the question of whether the rocket remained intact after landing.
“The climbing phase and the satellites looked fine, but the launch vehicle succumbed to the SNR on the unmanned ship,” wrote SpaceX head Elon Musk later on Twitter.
“CHP” means “Speed Unplanned Disassembly”.
One of the three engines used to slow down the missile during landing apparently did not work at full thrust. But this is crucial for the return at high speed, - said Musk.
The rocket flies on Wednesday to deliver communication satellites belonging to Eutelsat and Asia Broadcast System to Earth orbit.
