SpaceX to attempt landing rocket on ocean barge

[Buster's Uncle]

SpaceX to attempt landing rocket on ocean barge
San Jose Mercury News
By Heather Somerville  Posted:   12/27/2014 05:07:10 PM PST | Updated:   about 3 hours ago



As if launching a rocket into space wasn't hard enough, Elon Musk, billionaire entrepreneur and founder of SpaceX, will attempt to land one on the bullseye of a barge floating in the ocean. That's his bold way of aiding the effort to reduce the waste and astronomical cost of space exploration.

Musk will attempt the intrepid maneuver early next month when his space exploration company, SpaceX, plans to launch its Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX, a 12-year-old company based in Southern California, will then try to land the rocket on a custom-built ocean platform in the middle of the Atlantic. The launch is scheduled for Jan. 6.



(FILES) In this October 9, 2014 file photo, Elon Musk, the billionaire behind auto-maker Tesla and the SpaceX program (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)


It's a feat that has never been attempted -- and even SpaceX has doubts it can pull it off: "The odds of success are not great -- perhaps 50% at best," the company wrote on its website. "However, this test represents the first in a series of similar tests that will ultimately deliver a fully reusable Falcon 9 first stage."

Among the challenges are the sheer size and speed of the rocket -- the Falcon 9 is 14 stories tall and travels at 1 mile per second. Trying to control the rocket's reentry would be "like trying to balance a rubber broomstick on your hand in the middle of a wind storm," SpaceX said. Plus, the barge is relatively small -- 300 feet by up to 170 feet -- and is unanchored, so it moves around a bit in the ocean. SpaceX is targeting a landing accuracy of within 10 meters.

But if SpaceX can successfully land the rocket, it will have figured out a way to reuse rockets in subsequent flights, reducing waste and the cost of space exploration. Currently, most rockets spend their fuel and crash into the sea after flight, becoming garbage.

"A fully and rapidly reusable rocket -- which has never been done before -- is the pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access," SpaceX said on its website. "While most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, SpaceX is building rockets that not only withstand reentry, but also land safely on Earth to be refueled and fly again."

For years, Musk, who is also the chief executive of Tesla Motors, has been working on a way to land and reuse rockets. In two previous launches this year, the company completed soft landings in the ocean that hovered over the water before toppling over.

The Falcon 9 flight was originally scheduled to launch this month, but was delayed after a test firing of the rocket engines did not go precisely as planned. The company conducted additional tests last week that were successful. Jan. 7 is the back-update should the scheduled Jan. 6 launch get pushed back.

Earlier this year, SpaceX, along with Boeing, won a NASA contract to fly astronauts to the International Space Station.


http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_27215868/spacex-attempt-landing-rocket-ocean-barge

[JeroenDStout]

One of the most outrageous and daring attempts - absolutely excited about the whole thing.

[Geo]

In January on the Atlantic? Yeah, I'd say there's a pretty good chance at foul weather then to bugger a rocket test.