Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SpaceX Loses the Center Core of its Falcon Heavy Rocket due to Choppy Seas

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday April 16 2019, @07:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the caution-deck-is-slippery dept.

martyb writes:

SpaceX had a successful launch, orbit insertion, and recovery of all 3 rocket boosters last Thursday. Unfortunately, they were unable to fasten down the central core on the ASDS (Autonomous spaceport drone ship) "Of Course I Still Love You:

Shifting seas and high winds brought it down.

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
SpaceX Loses the Center Core of its Falcon Heavy Rocket due to Choppy Seas | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 38 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 16 2019, @12:57PM

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Tuesday April 16 2019, @12:57PM (#830377) Journal

    https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-falcon-heavy-booster-overboard/ [teslarati.com]

    According to Musk, the (partial or total) loss of Falcon Heavy B1055 was caused by a combination of bad weather – causing “swells as high as 10 ft (3 m)” – and the surprising fact that SpaceX’s robotic rocket grabber had yet to be modified to support Falcon Heavy center cores. Octagrabber is used to secure Falcon boosters after drone ship landings in order to better ensure the safety of SpaceX’s recovery crew. In anything short of quiet seas, massive, emptied Falcon boosters frequently end up sliding around the drone ship deck – ironically, one of the flight-proven side boosters that flew on Falcon Heavy’s launch debut was almost lost to (apparently) the same failure mode that has now either destroyed or ruined B1055.

    The next center core to be landed should have it.

    Like another AC said, Falcon Heavy is an interim solution for SpaceX. Although that could change if they get a bunch of LOP-G and lunar missions.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2