SpaceX Releases Full Video of Rocket Landing Attempt, Hopes to Make Changes for Next Time
BySpaceX CEO Elson Musk posted a video of the Falcon 9 rocket tipping over after its re-landing attempt, quelling any concern as to why the initial video cut that part out.
After successfully launching a Dragon capsule packed with cargo for the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX looked to land their Falcon 9 rocket on an ocean-based drone ship. The rocket's bottom end appeared to sway before landing upright, but "excess lateral velocity" caused the rocket to tip over afterward.
Speaking with Defense News, SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said the company sees some possible problems with trying to land the rocket on a barge floating on the ocean. With how close SpaceX has come to successfully landing the rocket, they want to try it on a completely flat surface.
"Just purely the boat moving, even in a low sea state, it's hard to imagine that vehicle is going to stay vertical," Shotwell said. "That vehicle is big and tall, compared to the itty-bity-greater-than-a-football-field-size ship."
She told Defense News there is little risk in moving the landing spot off the ocean for multiple reasons.
"The risk of damage to the public of ascent is far greater than return," Shotwell said. "There's a lot of propellant going up, and there's very little propellant coming back.
"It's a lot harder to think about blowing up that rocket when you're going up and it has a payload on board.
"But when it's coming back, if things look wonky, blow it up."
Unlike the last failed attempt, the initial video SpaceX released of the attempt did not show the rocket falling and exploding. Less than 24 hours after posting the first video, Musk posted another one to show the entire landing attempt.
NBC News also obtained a video that appears to show the landing attempt from the deck of the barge.