SpaceX Makes History: Successfully Launches, Lands Falcon 9 Rocket

[bananas]

Source: NBC

SpaceX's successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday night, the first from the private spaceflight company since its rocket exploded on liftoff in June.

The first stage of the rocket, used to propel the payload to 100km (62 miles) or so until the second stage takes over, then successfully landed on Earth again at a prepared landing zone. This is the first time SpaceX has ever attempted to land a rocket on land. Previous attempts, all unsuccessful, were attempted on floating landing pads.

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Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/spacex-set-attempt-first-rocket-launch-falcon-9-explosion-n483921

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It landed at Cape Canaveral.
We've entered a new era in human history.
Congratulations to everyone at SpaceX!

[onehandle]

1. Just a bit closer to no longer propping up the GOP's hero, Vladimir Putin.

Starve Russia... Again.

[Duckhunter935]

2. awesome

[joshcryer]

3. This just made my retirement on Mars a real possibility.

Rather than a distant fantasy.

[drm604]

4. I wonder if there are videos.

You'd think there would be.

[bananas]

5. The full webcast is in the Video Forum

SpaceX Orbcomm-2 launch and landing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017316580

[mike_c]

6. here's a Youtube link....

The landing is at about 41 minutes or so.

[LunaSea]

14. Aerial view of the landing

[drm604]

15. That's a much better view than the other one.

It's like something from a scifi movie. I guess it's really not too different from landing a lunar lander, except that it's completely automated and exactly on target. That's all due to modern computers.

[jmondine]

18. In one way at least, it's much more challenging than a lunar lander.

The lunar landers didn't have to fight atmospheric drag or compensate for wind currents.

[drm604]

19. That's true.

And that's where modern computers come into the picture, and possibly GPS.

[Travis_0004]

21. They are from different events

The SpaceX rocket is taller, goes higher up, faster, and lands at sea.

Blue orgin is much smaller, doesn't go as high, and landing on land.

[Matthew28]

7. Awesome news!!!

This will cut the cost of space travel at least in half or by 2/3rds if this becomes the norm!

Space-x is leading us towards so much more.

[truthisfreedom]

8. Incredible. Congratulations to Elon Musk and SpaceX!

[angrychair]

9. I expect Trump

Will have the next seat out...just not back...

[daleo]

10. I wonder how much money this actually saves?

Not to knock it. It seems like an important and technically difficult step. I just haven't seen any numbers attached to it, in a financially rigorous fashion.

[SCVDem]

11. Rocket engines are expensive.

Anything which can be refurbished will save big bucks.

Yay SpaceX !!

[bananas]

12. Here's a chart comparing various launch systems

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016139996

The graph – notice the two different x-axes – reveals that Skylon is vastly more expensive and requires many more reuses before its launch costs fall to the same as reusable rockets.

Even then, Falcon rockets can be cheaper still.

[daleo]

20. Some further reading of mine backs this up

I have seen 100 fold improvements bandied about. That seems unlikely but even a ten fold improvement would be huge. Mind you, if these technologies are patented (as I assume they will be), the cost savings would be partly diverted into high profit margins for the patent owners. Elon Musk is an odd one though. He seems like that rare thing, a capitalist who is more interested in transforming society quickly, than hoarding money. So, he might bypass that profit advantage, to speed things up.

[question everything]

13. K & R. Great News (nt)

[Stuart G]

16. K and R...nt

[Gumboot]

17. What an amazing achievement!

SpaceX has turned a decades-old science fiction dream into reality.

The entire flight of this rocket was only 10 minutes, from launch to delivering the satellites, to landing back on the same launch pad at Cape Canaveral.

Now I'm wondering what the turnaround time is between flights? Maybe a few days, or a week, rather than a year?

My head is spinning in wonder. Congratulations to all involved!