Miami, Dec 15 (AFP) For the first time, SpaceX todaylaunched both a rocket and a cargo ship that have flownbefore, a step forward in the company's goal to lower the costof spaceflight.
After the launch the California-based company headed byInternet tycoon Elon Musk landed its rocket booster upright onsolid ground at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX has now managed to return 20 of its rocketboosters after launch, whether on land or on a floating oceanplatform, as part of its effort to re-use instead of jettisoncostly rocket components.
"That marks the second successful visit to and from spacefor this particular booster," said a SpaceX commentator, aslive images showed the tall portion of the rocket glide down,upright, from the air to the launchpad.
The recycled Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocketblasted off at 10:36 am (local time).
Three minutes later, the booster and second stage of therocket separated, as SpaceX's webcast showed the twocomponents making an arc away from each other in the sky.
Then, the second stage continued to propel the Dragontoward the International Space Station, while the tall portionof the rocket powered its engines to guide it back to LandingZone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
It was the 14th recovery of a booster for SpaceX thisyear alone.
"This is the beginning of rapid and reliabilityreusability," said SpaceX Dragon mission manager JessicaJensen, at a press briefing Monday.
The launch was initially set for last Friday but wasdelayed, as SpaceX said it was "taking additional time for theteam to conduct full inspections and cleanings due to thedetection of particles in the second stage fuel system."The Falcon rocket booster previously propelled a spacestation resupply mission in June, called CRS-11.
The Dragon capsule was flown to the ISS in 2015.
Today also marked the fourth time SpaceX is re-flying aused booster for one if its clients.
However, it was the first such effort for NASA, SpaceX'smost important customer.
NASA's ISS program manager Kirk Shireman said rocketexperts from around the agency had reviewed safety for themission.
"The net result is about equivalent risk," he toldreporters Monday.
The unmanned spaceship is packed with 4,800 pounds (2,200kilograms) of food, supplies and experiments -- including oneto study thyroid cancer and another to grow barley in space.
The mission is SpaceX's 13th of 20 under a $1.6 billioncontract with NASA.
The Dragon is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Sunday.
(AFP)MRJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.