What SpaceX has achieved, not even NASA can claim to have done so. Elon Musk's SpaceX has reused its first-stage booster rocket to successfully launch its second mission into space.
This achievement is a befitting tribute to Musk, the driving force behind SpaceX. According to CNN Tech, making an orbital class rocket do two trips to space by reusing it is a massive leap forward.
The launch has successfully put a communications satellite, SES 10, into orbit. What's more the reused rocket was once again made to land safely on Earth.
It was also the first time that the portion of the rocket that carries the satellite during the trip, called spacecraft's fairing, was also safely recovered. The fairing before splashing down, snapped some awesome pictures of the Earth and the sun. Probably SpaceX is eyeing reusing this $6 million part of the rocket to make space launches even more affordable.
According to NASA Spaceflight, the rocket to be reused had had its 'baptism by fire', so to say, when it underwent the all-important static fire test. That the rocket aced this test was evident in the ease with which SpaceX reused it to launch the satellite.
Emphasizing on the importance of saving money by reusing the same first stage rocket booster, Musk said that this rocket itself is 70 percent of the cost of building a rocket. Will the rocket fly for the third time? Probably no. The reason why Musk plans to donate it to Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
This successful reusing of rocket has certainly become an inspiration to NASA and other private players targeting space. This bold experiment is set to make spaceflights more affordable.
That this launch may kickstart a space race among the private players is a no brainer, what with Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson and Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos also in the fray to outdo each other in space exploration. Exciting days are ahead for the space buffs, what say you!
