SpaceX a Shortfall of Gravitas: This Ethereal Footage Shows How Falcon 9 Landed in the Dark

SpaceX shared this raging, thrilling, and loud footage of a Falcon 9 rocket booster reverting to Earth and landing on a ship. A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) landed in port with its first catch fastened on its deck on Tuesday.

The video shared by CNET on YouTube shows a downward view of the rocket approaching the ocean, extending its landing legs, and lands perfectly amid ASOG waiting in the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the foggy weather and the darkness of night, this touchdown appeared otherworldly.

@tweet|https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1432927540297887747@

Since its debut on July 15, 2021, Space Flight Insider said A Shortfall of Gravitas had caught the first Falcon 9 stage. The crewless ship returned Falcon 9 core former B1061-4 (now B1061-5 after its safe recovery) after the rocket landed on the floating sea vessel just under 8 minutes after liftoff early Sunday morning.

SpaceX launched Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:14 a.m. EDT on August 29. The spacecraft's mission was to deliver the CRS-23 Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station.

About ASOG

Since 2016, SpaceX has utilized an upgraded version of drone ships, including A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG), to retrieve Falcon 9 first stages. Florida Today, citing Elon Musk, said stronger engines intended to better withstand turbulent waters are among the changes. It is an essential feature given that SpaceX has had to cancel many launches in the past due to weather conditions near the landing zone in the Atlantic.

SpaceX has successfully landed rockets 90 times since December 2015, using a combination of drone ships and land-based platforms. This statistic covers activities on both the East and West coasts.

ASOG is positioned at Port Canaveral alongside the drone ship Just Read the Instructions. Not only does SpaceX benefit from having several movable landing platforms to keep up with its quick launch schedule, but it also helps with Falcon Heavy missions. If the mission's constraints are flexible and enough fuel is left, SpaceX would preferably land two of the rockets at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station simultaneously, with the third landing using a drone ship.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on Twitter the overhead footage of the new ship at sea. The latest SpaceX drone ship was named after the late science fiction writer Iain M. Banks, the two other drone ships in the company's fleet. According to Space.com, it's an allusion to the spacecraft depicted in his "Culture" novels.

@tweet|https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1413598670331711493?@

Falcon 9

Science Times said the Falcon 9 was used to launch the Cargo Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station for NASA's CRS-23 mission over the weekend. The spaceship carried supplies and experiments to the orbiting outpost. The Dragon spacecraft successfully arrived at the International Space Station.

It's easy to overlook how incredible the entire operation is now that SpaceX is regularly flying uncrewed and crewed flights to space and receiving rocket boosters for reuse. The Falcon 9's return through a cloudy mist for a spectacular landing is a reminder that spaceflight - and all that goes into making it happen - remains awe-inspiring.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX on Science Times.