14 DAY TRIAL // SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of space flight, even if it's doing it with relatively unspectacular resupply missions to the ISS or simply by putting satellites into orbit. But even in these run-of-the-mill missions, it's always doing something new.
The redesigned Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket recently had its maiden flight. The new rocket is just an evolution of the older Falcon 9, but it's quite a big evolution nonetheless. The new rocket is significantly larger than the one it's replacing and a lot more powerful as well.
But that's not the innovation. The Falcon 9 v1.1 was the first time SpaceX experimented with a reusable first stage rocket.
The plan is, eventually, to have the first stage land back on Earth on its own. SpaceX is already working on that with the Grasshopper prototype which recently reached new record heights.
But the production Falcon 9 first stage was also tested during this last flight. The plan was that, after separation from the rest of the rocket, the first stage would reignite to slow its descent and hit the ocean at a relatively safe speed.
The engines were actually ignited, but things didn't go according to plan and the first stage still crashed into the water. But SpaceX has said that it's learned everything it hoped it would from this first flight. Reusability is a major goal for the company and the key to bringing down costs to a more reasonable level.
The full video of the launch has now been made available by SpaceX. The company usually live streams its launches and missions, but being able to watch it after the fact makes it possible to focus on events that may not be noticeable the first time around. For example, the video briefly shows the first stage engines reigniting after detaching from the rocket.
