Falcon 9 – Page 144 – Spaceflight Now

What’s next for SpaceX’s recovered Falcon 9 booster?

January 3, 2016 Stephen Clark

SpaceX ground crews at Kennedy Space Center’s Apollo-era launch complex 39A are putting the 156-foot-tall Falcon 9 first stage booster that flew to space and back Dec. 21 through a thorough inspection, setting the stage for a hold-down test firing at the launch pad.

SpaceX rocket landing applauded, but experts say implications TBD

December 23, 2015 William Harwood

The successful launch and landing by the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Monday was a significant step toward achieving reusability and, eventually, lowering launch costs, but turning that success into operational reality poses a significant challenge for company founder Elon Musk.

Photos: Falcon 9 booster stands upright after landing

December 22, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX took a group of reporters and photographers just offshore the Falcon 9 rocket’s landing point Tuesday, a day after the 15-story booster made a pinpoint touchdown after helping send 11 communications satellites into orbit.

Round-trip rocket flight gives SpaceX a trifecta of successes

December 22, 2015 Stephen Clark

Flying through the sky at supersonic speed, a Falcon 9 rocket stage descended to a historic landing at Cape Canaveral on Monday, returning to the spaceport minutes after boosting 11 Orbcomm communications satellites toward orbit on SpaceX’s first mission since a major failure in June.

Q&A with Elon Musk after SpaceX’s first rocket landing

December 22, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s billionaire founder and chief executive Elon Musk spoke with reporters just after successfully landing a Falcon 9 booster for the first time.

From all angles: Up and down with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster

December 22, 2015 Stephen Clark

Relive the experience with imagery from Monday night’s blazing blastoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and its historic, dramatic landing at Cape Canaveral.

Watch SpaceX recover booster: “The Falcon has landed”

December 22, 2015 Spaceflight Now

Watch as SpaceX successfully returns the first stage of its Falcon 9 booster to a landing at Cape Canaveral just minutes after it blasted off.

Falcon 9 launch timeline with Orbcomm satellites

December 21, 2015 Stephen Clark

Track the progress of the launch and landing of SpaceX’s upgraded Falcon 9 rocket carrying 11 Orbcomm message relay satellites with this timeline of major events in the flight sequence.

Falcon 9’s return-to-flight launch delayed 24 hours

December 20, 2015 Stephen Clark

SpaceX called off a try Sunday to launch a package of Orbcomm communications satellites from Cape Canaveral, eyeing a better chance to land the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage booster Monday, according to Elon Musk, the company’s billionaire founder.

Patience a key ingredient in Orbcomm’s new satellite fleet

December 20, 2015 Stephen Clark

Nearly a decade after Orbcomm raised the money to pay for a second-generation satellite fleet to drastically expand the company’s reach, the $230 million program is finally primed for completion after Monday’s launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.