The next launch of Falcon 9 with the landing of the first stage on land [The launch was successful, the stage returned to Earth]

    This time, SpaceX will again attempt to deliver to the ISS the cargo destroyed last year due to the unsuccessful launch of Falcon 9. The Space X Falcon 9 space launch will take place



    just a few hours later . The launch is scheduled for 04:45 UTC on July 18 from the SLC launch complex -40 at Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft will carry more than 2 tons of payload to the ISS. The first stage will try to return intact. Only it will be planted this time not on a sea platform, but on land, on the Landing Zone 1 site.

    This will be the second attempt to land on land. The first, successful, was in December. Then the Falcon 9 spacecraft sent Orbcomm communications satellite to low orbit. The return of the first step last year is the first success of Space X. The complexity of the new landing will be about the same as in December.

    "The probability of a successful landing is higher for this particular landing, in general, it will be similar to last year," said Vice President Hans Koenigsmann.



    Landing steps should happen shortly after separation steps, it is about 2.5 minutes after the launch of the rocket. After separation, the stage will restart its engines. In general, engineers are planning a series of three engine start-ups - enough to return to the landing site at Cape Canaveral.



    SpaceX decides on landing steps on land or at sea (on an offshore platform) depending on how high the orbit of the satellite launched into space is. If you need to send a satellite to a high orbit - at the start you need to reach maximum speed, the fuel is spent more at the start. After separation, the first stage still has tremendous speed, and to reduce it also requires a lot of fuel. In this case, the step sits on the seathe platform. The second reason is the licensing of launches from the United States Federal Aviation Administration. In the case of landing at sea, the organization gives the go-ahead faster than when landing on land. The reason - less chance of falling steps on someone's head, roughly speaking. In this case, the Federal Communications Commission is also more willing to issue licenses.

    If the satellite is launched into a low orbit, as in this case, the fuel is spent less, you can return the stage almost to the launch point of the ship.

    After the landing of the first stage, the second will continue its flight, carrying the Dragon spacecraft. His need to put into orbit, where he will spend two days. After that, on Wednesday, Dragon will dock with the ISS. If everything goes according to plan, then the ISS will be immediately two docked spacecraft: Dragon and Russian Progress.



    Dragon will deliver food, equipment and other payload to the ISS. The most important part of this shipment is the IDA international docking adapter. This is a docking station, which is a metal ring. It will be mounted on the outside of the station, allowing spacecraft from SpaceX or Boeing to perform an automatic docking operation with the ISS. These devices are only to be created, their main task will be to deliver NASA astronauts to the station and back.

    In total, 2257 kg of payload will be delivered:
    • Scientific equipment: 930 kg;
    • Team Supply: 370 kg;
    • Equipment for the ISS: 280 kg;
    • Spacewalk equipment: 127 kg;
    • Computer equipment: 1 kg;
    • Russian equipment: 54 kg;
    • Docking ring (IDA): 467 kg.


    This is the second attempt to deliver the docking station to the ISS. The first attempt was unsuccessful. IDA was supposed to deliver the Falcon 9 spacecraft last year, but when it launched, it exploded and the docking assembly was destroyed . Now SpaceX has conducted a thorough survey of the launch pad and the spacecraft itself - you need to make sure that everything will go as planned at launch.

    The likelihood that during the "window" launch the weather will be favorable is about 90%. It remains only to wish SpaceX a successful launch of the rocket, the launch into Dragon orbit, the docking of the Dragon with the ISS and the return of the first stage.

    UPD.SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon 9 spacecraft. Soon after launch, the first stage was landed, which landed at a predetermined location - at the Landing Complex 1 site. This is the second successful landing of the return stage on land.



    The number of returned steps has already reached five. Previously, the company sent all the steps to the Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A. SpaceX rents space from NASA. The maximum number of steps that this hangar can accommodate is five. In June, the company transported two steps to another place, so there is still room - two steps are stored in the hangar, and now another one will be added.



    Employees of the company are not devoid of humor - before the end of the broadcast an animation of the Dragon ship appeared on the screen, with the interface of the game Pokemon Go .



    Three leading broadcasts began to throw out Pokéballs, trying to "catch" the ship. This stage also completed successfully.

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