SpaceX Launches Satellites, Narrowly Misses Rocket Landing at Sea
Source: SPACE.com
SpaceX Launches Satellites, Narrowly Misses Rocket Landing at Sea
By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | June 15, 2016 11:30am ET
SpaceX successfully launched two satellites to orbit today (June 15) but couldn't quite pull off its fourth consecutive rocket landing at sea in the process.
The first stage of the California-based company's Falcon 9 rocket Falcon 9 rocket managed to hit its target — a robotic "droneship" stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the Florida coast — but wasn't able to stick the landing.
"Ascent phase & satellites look good, but booster rocket had a RUD on droneship," SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said via Twitter during the liftoff. ("RUD" is Muskspeak for "rapid unscheduled disassembly."
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station today at 10:29 a.m. EDT (1429 GMT). About 2.5 minutes later, the booster's two stages separated; the upper stage continued carrying the Eutelsat 117 West B and ABS-2A commercial communications satellites to a distant geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), while the first stage turned around and headed back to Earth.
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