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Over the past few months, SpaceX has been quietly preparing to launch the first batch of satellites for Starlink project, its global internet constellation. The launch is planned for May 16 on a Falcon 9 rocket launching from Cape Canaveral. More missions like this one could take place this year.
On Saturday, Falcon 9 successfully launched a reused Dragon capsule to the ISS as part of the CRS-17 mission for NASA. At a press conference that followed, we learned more about the problems that caused the delay on Friday, as well as NASA’s plans for Falcon and Dragon reuse. It turns out that by the end of the year, we might see CRS missions that will fly Falcons and Dragons that had been used twice before.
During last week’s Arabsat 6A mission, all three Falcon Heavy boosters successfully landed. The center core has undergone a hot and challenging return through the atmosphere, yet it still landed safely on the droneship. Unfortunately, before the booster could be secured to the deck, rough sea caused it to tip over. Why wasn’t OctaGrabber used?
Another set of fairings were recovered and even though they landed in the water, they will be reused this year. It would be the first reuse of fairings ever. How come it’s possible to reuse fairings that came into contact with sea water? One possible explanation is that the fairings have been upgraded. Is Mr. Steven now obsolete?
