SpaceX has launched its powerful Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, after aborting the maiden voyage yesterday just 58 seconds before liftoff.
The craft, carrying Bangladesh’s first communications satellite, the Bangabandhu 1, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida on time at 4:14pm (ET).
Block 5 Falcon 9 is said to be the ‘final iteration’ of the reusable rocket, with potential to handle far more launches than its predecessor, and could one day be used to carry astronauts to space.
SpaceX has launched its powerful Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, after aborting the maiden voyage yesterday just 58 seconds before liftoff
Cheers could be heard from the control room as the rocket tore through the sky in a ‘beautifully clear’ shot seen from all around.
Atop the reusable rocket is the Bangabandhu 1, which weighs in at a whopping 7,700lbs.
The vehicle could be seen high above Earth after launch, with its three main events happening in the usual quick succession.
After main engine cutoff, the first stage separated followed by the fairings, and announcers confirmed: ‘Everything is going great right now, Falcon is looking good.’
Shaky video reception threatened to block out the landing of the first stage, which would mark SpaceX’s 25th successful Falcon 9 recovery.
But, at the very last second, the video came back to life, revealing the Falcon 9 sat upon Of Course I Still Love You, in the Atlantic Ocean.
‘Right now, everything is looking good,’ with the second stage, the announcers confirmed.
Cheers could be heard from the control room as the rocket tore through the sky in a ‘beautifully clear’ shot seen from all around
Atop the reusable rocket is the Bangabandhu 1, which weighs in at a whopping 7,700lbs
Unlike previous Falcon 9 iterations, the Block 5 is made to last for a long time — and for good reason, because if all goes well, it could be used to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
It has stronger landing legs, better landing control and is completely reusable.
The rocket looks pretty similar to previous Falcon 9 iterations, aside from a new interstage ring, raceway cover and landing legs — all of which are painted black.
The black paint is part of the rocket’s new thermal protection system that makes it highly flame resistant and rapidly reusable.
It’s part of SpaceX’s wider goal to make launching rockets similar to commercial flights, where ‘they can be flown again and again,’ the firm explained on the livestream.
The vehicle could be seen high above Earth, with its three main events happening in the usual quick succession. After main engine cutoff, the first stage separated followed by the fairings, and announcers confirmed: ‘Everything is going great right now, Falcon is looking good’
The craft, carrying Bangladesh’s first communications satellite, the Bangabandhu 1, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida on time at 4:14p.m. (ET) following the previous day’s delays
There are also some noteworthy changes to the rocket’s nine Merlin engines.
They now have a thrust of 190,000 lbf at sea level vs. the prior thrust amount of 176,000 lbf.
Additionally, the rocket’s metal support structure, called the Octaweb, is now bolted to the body instead of welded, to allow for greater reliability and it ‘shortens the lead time in manufacturing,’ the company noted.
The firm was forced to delay yesterday’s launch after the rocket threw the abort signal 58 seconds before launch.
Announcers said at the time that the Block 5 rocket and its payload ‘are in good health’ but that it would use the next 24 hours to check what ‘threw the abort today’.
‘We’re much happier to take those aborts beforehand than continue when there’s any risks,’ the announcer explained.
The mission is expected to serve as a proving ground for the Block 5, which Elon Musk has referred to as the ‘finished version’ of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, as it’s been designed to last up to 100 flights in a single lifespan.
It’s been fitted with a new second stage anti-vortex device to prevent fluids from creating a whirlpool inside the rocket.
SpaceX is also using a pair of titanium grid fins, rather than aluminum, which allow for a more controlled entry.
The rocket looks pretty similar to previous Falcon 9 iterations, aside from a new interstage ring, raceway cover and landing legs — all of which are painted black (pictured)
With just under 20 minutes left in Thursday’s takeoff window, SpaceX announced on a livestream that it would be scrubbing the launch for the day
The mission also marks the inaugural launch of Bangladesh’s first-ever communications satellite.
Bangabandhu 1 will provide broadcasting and telecommunication services to rural areas, as well as deliver direc-to-home television programming across Bangladesh.
The mission is an important step toward SpaceX’s wider plan of conducting manned missions with rockets that can be reused up to 100 times in a single lifespan.
SpaceX, which conducted a successful static test fire of the Block 5 earlier this month, said the rocket has numerous upgrades from its predecessor, the Block 4.
The plan is to launch the first stage 10 times without needing refurbishment, just some minimal inspection before returning the rocket to the launchpad.
After it completes 10 flights, the Block 5 will be inspected and repaired, then used in 10 more flights.
With any luck, the rocket can be reused up to 100 times.
However, Andy Lambert, vice president of production for SpaceX, pointed out in a Reddit post that an upwards of 10 times is probably more achievable for now.
‘Block 5 is being qualified for 10+ flights, but we’ll continue to expand for more,’ Lambert said.
By comparison, SpaceX’s Block 3 and Block 4 rockets have only been able to fly a second time after undergoing refurbishment.
Meanwhile, another important launch tool received a noticeable face lift.
SpaceX’s recovery boat, called ‘Mr Steven’, was installed with a new net to help it better retrieve payload fairings as they return to earth.
The contraption has now been outfitted with a bright yellow net, which Musk has cheekily likened to as being a ‘giant catcher’s mitt’, that appears to be made of stronger material than its predecessor, according to Teslarati, which first spotted the change.
SpaceX’s recovery boat, ‘Mr Steven’, was installed with a new net (top) to help it better retrieve payload fairings as they return to earth. It’s believed to be stronger than the old net (bottom)
SpaceX uses a recovery boat, called ‘Mr. Steven’, that’s outfitted with massive metal claws that are rigged to a net, as a means of gently recovering Falcon 9 payload fairings
Rigged to the net are massive metal claws to help retrieve parts from Falcon 9 rockets, some of which can weigh up to 4000kg.
The Block 5 has a slew of upgrades, such as improvements to the rocket’s heat shield, additional thermal protection coating to prevent heat damage upon re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere and retractable landing legs.
Musk in 2016 described the upgrades as ‘significantly improving performance & ease of reusability’.
The ultimate goal is to cut down on the cost of rocket launches without having to build a new rocket for each mission.
Pictured is the Falcon 9 Block 5 on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center ahead of its maiden static test fire on May 4. The rocket is set to blast off on Thursday afternoon
The SpaceX boss has said that cutting down on labor costs could also reduce the cost of each rocket, perhaps by as much as 30%.
If they cut down on the cost of each rocket, that could enable SpaceX to complete launch missions more often.
And the savings could be applied to SpaceX’s development of the BFR, or ‘Big F***ing Rocket’, according to the Verge.
SpaceX just received approval to build the BFR at the Port of Los Angeles, further setting in motion Musk’s plan of making humans a ‘multi-planetary’ species, and one day developing a colony on Mars.
Elon Musk has referred to Block 5 as the ‘finished version’ of its reusable Falcon 9 rockets. It has even more powerful thrust, landing control and retractable legs
WHY DOES SPACEX RE-USE ROCKETS AND OTHER PARTS?
SpaceX tries to re-use rockets, payload fairings, boosters and other parts to try to cut down on the cost of each rocket mission.
The total cost of one of its Falcon 9 launches is estimated to reach £44 million ($61m), while each of its larger Falcon Heavy flights costs £65 million ($90m).
The space company has previously re-used first-stage and second-stage rocket boosters, in addition to one of its previously flown Dragon capsules.
The Dragon spacecraft are used as the final stage of SpaceX missions to resupply the International Space Station.
In an incredible accomplishment, the Falcon Heavy’s reused side boosters landed smoothly back down to Earth on two separate launchpads about 8 minutes in.
SpaceX is currently testing a system to recover the fairings of its Falcon 9 rockets.
The payload fairings are clam shell-like nose cone halves that protect the craft’s payload.
SpaceX recovered a payload fairing for the first time in 2017.
During its first Falcon Heavy launch in February 2018, the firm landed two of the firms side boosters simultaneously on separate launchpads.
The BFR, consisting of a spaceship and the booster, will stand at a staggering 106 meters tall (347.7 feet).
As expected, Musk has set out an aggressive timeline for when the BFR will be ready for takeoff.
‘We are building the first Mars, or interplanetary ship, and I think well be able to do short trips, short up and down flights, by first half of next year,’ Musk said at the South by Southwest technology and culture festival in Austin, Texas, last month.
‘Although sometimes, my timelines are a little, you know…,’ he joked.
The Block 5 also serves as an important milestone in that goal, but SpaceX will need to launch it at least seven times in order to be able to deliver passengers to the International Space Station.