American space transport services company Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, more commonly known as SpaceX, may start using retrievable rockets for their space missions in 2015.
SpaceX is one of the companies involved in the resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) located in low Earth orbit. The next resupply mission is scheduled for Jan. 6, which will carry food, equipment and two satellites.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, suggests that the upcoming resupply mission may change space missions as the company is planning to get the used rocket back to Earth. If SpaceX is successful in getting the rocket back to Earth, then it can save a lot of money.
The first stage of a rocket, which carries a payload to space, is normally abandoned and falls in the sea. However, SpaceX's technology is trying to get the used rocket back to Earth safely, which can then be used for other missions.
SpaceX uses the Falcon 9 for the resupply missions to the ISS and its stage 1 rocket is about 14 stories high. The rocket re-enters in the Earth's atmosphere at a high speed of 1,300 miles per second.
"Returning anything from space is a challenge, but returning a Falcon 9 first stage for a precision landing presents a number of additional hurdles. At 14 stories tall and traveling upwards of 1300 m/s (nearly 1 mi/s), stabilizing the Falcon 9 first stage for re-entry is like trying to balance a rubber broomstick on your hand in the middle of a wind storm," stated SpaceX.
The company plans to land the rocket on a platform floating on water.
SpaceX suggests that the speed of the rocket has to be reduced, enabling the craft to land safely on the floating platform. The company will reignite the rocket's engines for three burns to reduce the speed from 1,300 miles per second to 250 miles per second. The final burn will see legs deployed from the rocket and the speed will be reduced to two miles per second.
The floating platform may pose a challenge to the landing of the rocket. The landing port is 100 by 300 feet and its wings extend its total width to about 170 feet. The area may sound big; however, for the Falcon 9 first stage, it may not be sufficient. The platform has powerful thrusters that help it to stay in place but it does not have anchors, so landing the rocket has to be precise.
SpaceX suggests that the odds of getting back the rocket is 50 percent. No previous re-entry attempts have been successful until now; however, SpaceX has gotten the Falcon 9 to do some successful "soft landings."
Check out the Falcon 9's first stage re-entry video taken from a plane.
