back to article The ball's in your court, Bezos: Falcon 9 lands after launching satellites

Elon Musk's SpaceX has successfully landed a rocket on Earth, after first using it to launch satellites. The Falcon 9 craft left the US on Monday night, local time, packed with 11 satellites. The rocket launched at 20:28 from Cape Canaveral in Florida. At 20:32 the rocket's first stage engines shut off. Two minutes later, the …

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  1. NotArghGeeCee
    Pint

    That deserves...

    ...one of these ->

    for all concerned. Top marks.

    1. JetSetJim
      Pint

      Re: That deserves...

      Just one? I think a few more...

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: That deserves...

        Enough to power a rocket?

        You might need a few more kegs.

        Hats of to the team. I had goosebumps watching that landing :-)

  2. DrStrangeLug

    Truly good news

    This is awesome, a genuinely good news story just before Christmas. I've been waiting all year to see SpaceX pull this one of and I'm so happy they did.

  3. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

    @Elon Musk

    There and back again

    But did you go under bridges and over bridges?

    1. Stanislaw
      Boffin

      Re: @Elon Musk

      But did you go under bridges and over bridges?

      Takes the biscuits, does that. And imagine the commercial possibilities should they succeed in adding a footplate to ride on.

      1. MrT

        Re: @Elon Musk

        Going under Bridges and over Bridges would explain many things...

        Or is Elon finally admitting that SpaceX use hobbits to pilot the first stage...?

  4. Gordon 10

    I'm not usually one for Americanisms

    But Boo-Ya!

    Well done Space-X Rocket boffins.

    1. Fink-Nottle

      Re: I'm not usually one for Americanisms

      Yeh ... not bad for a boy from Pretoria.

      It kinda makes up for the Springboks being robbed in the World Cup semis.

  5. Roger Greenwood
    Pint

    Impressive

    Same week he appears in "Big Bang Theory" and then lands a rocket. I wonder what else is on his bucket list that we don't know about?

  6. John Robson Silver badge

    On Earth....

    Not on a barge?

    So Lohan's launch date must be getting closer, or do you need to throw a few billion at the FAA?

  7. Wam

    At last!

    We can finally build a real life Thunderbird 3!

    1. Stephen 1
      Thumb Up

      Re: At last!

      In "Sun Probe" Thunderbird 3 appeared to fly almost to the sun and back in an afternoon so it must have been capable of a significant fraction of C.

      Come on Musk, there's a challenge for you...

      (Congratulations though, excellent, inspirational, work)

  8. Mark 85

    Amazing.. simply amazing. The video was impressive but what really hit me was it sitting on the landing pad and it appears to be dead center.

    1. Holleritho

      Poetry in motion

      I agree: blast-offs have been a thrill since the Saturn days, but to see this thin needle come down and land smack-dab on its own flame was awesome.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Poetry in motion

        ...and the analogy given on the full length video really brings home the achievement.

        "It's like launching a pencil over the Empire State Building, flipping it at the top then landing it on a shoebox".

        Gobsmacking!

  9. Zog_but_not_the_first
    Thumb Up

    Destination - Moon!

    Prof. Calculus would be proud.

  10. imanidiot Silver badge

    *standing ovation*

    Beers to all those involved!

  11. Morrie Wyatt
    Mushroom

    Returned to Earth

    By which I presume you actually mean landed on "Of course I still love you" somewhere out at sea?

    Which makes the landing all the more impressive.

    Congratulations to Elon and his crew.

    (The icon? Not This Time at least.)

    The fire was pointing in the correct direction so it did go to space today.

    1. chris 17 Silver badge

      Re: Return to Earth

      @ Morrie Wyatt

      "By which I presume you actually mean landed on "Of course I still love you" somewhere out at sea?"

      Nope it took off and landed at the cape, as in Cape Canaveral, USA where they generally launch rockets from.

      Truly remarkable especially as it also deployed its cargo of 11 satellites (i'm guessing tiny ones) too.

      good job Elon's team!!

      1. Tom Womack

        Re: Return to Earth

        Not especially tiny satellites (172kg, 100cm x 100cm x 50cm) - midway on an exponential scale between a Cubesat and something like Hubble.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Return to Earth

          172 kg is more than twice as heavy as Telstar or Prospero.

      2. JeffyPoooh
        Pint

        Re: Return to Earth

        Chris: "...cargo of 11 satellites (i'm guessing tiny ones)..."

        Their *smallest* dimension ('height') is reportedly about 0.5m. 380 lbs each.

        So smallish, but certainly not "tiny".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Returned to Earth

      Nope - it landed on the land. SpaceX have built a landing facility at Cape Canaveral now, so the barge is no longer required.

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

    4. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      Re: Returned to Earth

      It was on land. See the pic in the graunidad - towards bottom of the article:

      http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/dec/22/welcome-back-baby-elon-musk-celebrates-spacex-rocket-launch-and-landing

      From this pic it is also very clear that they could pull this one off because they had a HUGE quantity of excess fuel on this launch. You can see both curves quite clearly there (it is a 5 min "open shutter" pic). The rocket had to compensate for the delta v acquired curving on a ballistic towards the horizon to fly back. You cannot do that if you are short on fuel, so those barges will still see action from time to time for heavy payload and/or high orbit launches.

      1. ZSn

        Re: Returned to Earth

        That makes it even more impressive that landing on a barge. The first stage had to change it's delta-v completely, so it's a prolonged burn with the rocket pointing the wrong way to whatever atmospheric drag it's experiencing. With a heavy load of fuel in the tanks - I think that this is a lot more difficult than the barge landing.

        1. Bronek Kozicki

          Re: Returned to Earth

          The boostback was definitely making things difficult, as they had to carry more fuel to revert delta-V . However, one thing that made barge landing so difficult, which you do not experience on terra firma, is the movement of the landing surface caused by waves. I think SpaceX is aiming to eventually start its rockets in Texas and land in Florida, so they have "best of two worlds" i.e. non-floating landing surface and no need to revert all of delta-V = less fuel for landing, which translates to more capacity.

          1. ZSn

            Re: Returned to Earth

            You can launch from Texas as long as you don't mind taking out New Orleans if the launch goes wrong! There's a reason that they launch out across the ocean. If not the best place to launch from is from a rocket sled up the side of the rockies (you can make a single stage to orbit rocket easily doing that!)

            1. GBE

              No danger to New Orleans

              "You can launch from Texas as long as you don't mind taking out New Orleans if the launch goes wrong!"

              Hardly. You don't launch from Houston. You launch over the gulf from somewhere between Corpus and Brownsville -- that way the landing pad is straight East _over_the_ocean_. New Orleans wouldn't be in any danger.

        2. JeffyPoooh
          Pint

          Re: Returned to Earth

          ZSn offered "With a heavy load of fuel in the tanks..."

          At launch, yes.

          But at retroburn, much much less.

          At landing, hardly any.

          1. Steve Todd

            Re: Returned to Earth

            What's more the upper stages were nolonger attached when the retro-burn and landing were happening, so a much lighter craft altogether.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    but how much re-use can you get?

    they must take bit of a battering from launch forces and re-entry...

    I would also assume that any residual fuel/oxidiser makes them quite hazardous to work on once landed too.

    I havent seen much published on the practicalities.

    All that said, great job and well done.

    1. jzl

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      The fuel is kerosene (jet fuel) and the oxidiser is, well, pure oxygen. So there's a certain risk with it but nothing that a pump, a good wash and a bit of care can't handle.

      1. The elephant in the room

        Re: but how much re-use can you get?

        "nothing that a pump, a good wash and a bit of care can't handle."

        That's what she said!

    2. phuzz Silver badge

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      Looking at the state of it on the ground (video clip here), it looks like it really will need a good wash. Check out the difference in colour between the bottom, and the parts that were covered up by the landing legs.

      And how exactly do you scrub a rocket anyway? Stick it on a low loader and go through a car wash? Or perhaps one of the ones they use for cleaning trains.

      1. lidgaca
        Joke

        Re: but how much re-use can you get?

        Take it to the hand car wash on the corner - they do a rocket valet job for 15 quid ...

      2. eldakka
        Coat

        Re: but how much re-use can you get?

        "And how exactly do you scrub a rocket anyway?"

        Isn't that what interns are for? Supply them with some overalls, long/extensible handled brooms, buckets, couple firehoses, and bob's your uncle.

    3. Tom_

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      Sadly, I can't remember where I read this, but in an interview with Musk from earlier this year he said that the engines should be reusable between 20 and 40 times. Apparently the engine is the really valuable bit that they care about. Presumably replacing struts and fuel tanks that may be showing signs of wear is a lot cheaper than replacing the actual engines, which I suppose makes sense.

    4. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      I guess you don't know until you try.

    5. Peter2 Silver badge

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      they must take bit of a battering from launch forces and re-entry...

      The first stage is basically to get the thing off the ground to what are better thought of as very high aircraft heights and speeds, which is why there are projects to use rockets released by aircraft as the first stage. At this point the first stage is jettisoned as dead weight, and the second stage takes the rocket to low/mid space sort of heights, at which point it's jettisoned so save weight so the now lighter third stage can make it to orbit sort of heights.

      At very high aircraft speeds and heights, you are looking at more aircraft levels of friction heat (ie < Mach 5) than "spacecraft free falling from orbit" levels (Mach ~25), which is presumably why they are only recovering the first stage.

      Basically, this marks the start of the traditional "throw away the first stage" rocketry model having it's days numbered. With Space X actually able to reland their first stages and various approaches (SABRE etc) in development competition is about to bring down the cost to orbit quite a lot.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: but how much re-use can you get?

        Peter: "...having it's days numbered..."

        its

    6. logic

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      Oxegen and Kerosene - hardly toxic !!

    7. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: but how much re-use can you get?

      I suspect this first successfully landed 1st stage will be stripped down to the last nut and bolt for testing and analysis to see what stress and wear have occurred. The engines, being the most expensive bits may well get re-used eventually, possibly only as spare poarts, but I expect they will be subject to highly invasive testing, not least to satisfy the FAA that used engines are safe to re-use.

  13. jzl

    Watched it live last night

    From the UK too. I'm knackered.

    Wow, what a nailbiter. Crazy. Just crazy. If I had a religious bone in my body, I'd be watching for holes in Musk's hands right now.

    1. Bronek Kozicki
      Coffee/keyboard

      Re: Watched it live last night

      I watched it live too, truly inspiring.

      There is no "need more coffee" icon, so this will have to do ->

      1. et tu, brute?
        Thumb Up

        Re: Watched it live last night

        Me too, here from the Netherlands... was well worth the short night that followed after watching right until the end at 3 o'clock local time!

  14. WonkoTheSane
    Joke

    EPIC achievement!

    Just wait till he adds this mode to Teslas!

  15. Alister

    Superb bit of video, sent real shivers up my spine.

    Isn't it curious how we've seen spaceships land like this for decades in Sci-Fi films and TV shows, but to see it actually happen for real somehow is just so much more awesome.

    1. JeffyPoooh
      Pint

      "...spaceships land like this... ...Sci-i..."

      Alister: "Isn't it curious how we've seen spaceships land like this for decades in Sci-Fi films and TV shows, but to see it actually happen for real somehow is just so much more awesome."

      Space vehicles landing vertically has been done before.

      At least six times.

      On the Moon.

      Starting in the 1960s.

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