Dhini Ipo Eppudo Kaani.. Waiting - Next Trillion Dollar Industry

[Hyderabad_Nawab]

SpaceX's Game-Changing Launch And Landing Test Is Happening On Saturday

 

 

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after unveiling the Dragon V2 spacecraft in Hawthorne, California, on May 29.

 

After several delays and reschedulings, SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon spacecraft full of cargo destined for the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, January 10, at 4:47 a.m

But what's most important about this launch isn't the going up — it's the Falcon 9 rocket's descent, which will include a game-changing test of SpaceX's reusable rocket technology.

The launch was originally scheduled to launch earlier this week, on Tuesday, January 6, but due to a technical glitch with one of the rocket's engines the attempt was scrubbed.

"During the terminal count engineers observed drift on one of the two thrust vector actuators on the second stage that would likely have caused an automatic abort. Engineers called a hold in order to take a closer look," SpaceX said in a statement.

 

Now, the launch is scheduled to happen on January 10, at 4:47 am EST.

In addition to possibly changing spaceflight forever, the launch will also ferry 5,200 pounds of science experiments, spare parts, food, water, and other supplies to the ISS on the Dragon spacecraft.

After the rocket blasts off, the Dragon capsule separates and heads off to the ISS. That's when things get really interesting.

The rocket, using GPS tracking, will navigate its way down to a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean, and land vertically without damage. At the end of the day, it should look something like the image below, made by SpaceX fan and Reddtior Jon Ross on ZLSA Design.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-reusablity-ocean-landing-2015-1#ixzz3Oiw9VM82

 

[Hyderabad_Nawab]

 

Artist's impression of SpaceX rocket landing.

 

Reusable Rockets

This task won't be easy. No first-stage rocket has ever been recovered for reuse. If successful on Saturday, January 10, the company will set a new standard in space exploration — one that could eventually cut the cost of space travel by a factor of 100, according to Musk.

So far, each SpaceX resupply mission has used a different rocket costing around $60 million each, but if this launch is successful that could change. The cost of rockets, alone, is partly why reusable rocket technology is so important. Reuse could immediately save $60 million from SpaceX's next launch — scheduled for Jan. 29 — if the Falcon 9 rocket is recovered undamaged on Saturday.

Building a rocket that can be used more than once is also an extremely important step in ultimately sending a manned space mission to and from Mars that could use the rocket to land and, more importantly, leave the Red planet to return to Earth.

It's a risky endeavor, which Elon Musk estimates has only a 50% probability of success. "During previous attempts, we could only expect a landing accuracy of within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). For this attempt, we're targeting a landing accuracy of within 10 meters (33 feet)," SpaceX said in a statement.

Doing this will be like "trying to balance a rubber broomstick on your hand in the middle of a wind storm," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-falcon-9-reusablity-ocean-landing-2015-1#ixzz3OjUoB9Kw