SpaceX Lands Reusable Rockets Like It's No Big Deal
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Transporter-2 mission, carrying dozens of satellites to polar orbit, landed at SpaceX's Landing Zone 1 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida minutes later.
Published 3 years ago in Ftw
Up until Elon Musk entered the space game, NASA and other space agencies around the world had to recover their rocket boosters by letting them re-enter the atmosphere, hope they didn't blow up or denigrate, and pray that they landed in a body of water and could be recovered for reuse. The external fuel tank is an exception to this, however, as it is designed to burn up on re-entry.
Many people are familiar with the Tesla and other manufacturers' "self driving" modes and options on their vehicles, but seeing a freakin rocket land itself after lifting off is truly a modern marvel of science and engineering.