After SpaceX successfully and brilliantly demonstrated the vertical landing of the Falcon 9 rocket that went into space and returned on 21 December, is a historic event — many, of course, interested in what awaits intact first stage. There were rumors that will be put in a Museum. Let’s face it. Everything indicates that the missile is not particularly suffered from the grueling ascent and descent and will be ready again to go into space in the not-too-distant future after thorough inspections of SpaceX engineers with former NASA launch pad in Florida.
“The damage is not detected, ready to spark again — said the billionaire founder and CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk. — Falcon 9 returned to the hangar at Cape Canaveral”.
In confirmation of his words, Musk has provided photographs of the first stage, before and after launch. The first stage was surprisingly clean, except for the blackening from soot from the exhaust, other obvious signs of damage there.
The Mask is to radically cut the cost of launching people and cargo into space due to restoration of the reusable launch because every build is very very expensive — instead of throw them away after a single use.
Long term dream Mask — to build “City on Mars”. Vertical landing of a first stage of the Falcon 9 on December 21 should turn the history of space flight and to make us one step closer to his colony on Mars.
“I think that it is particularly important to achieve this goal is mnogorazovogo missiles orbital class. This is fundamental to this goal, without this it cannot be achieved,” said Musk after running and landing on December 21.
In addition, Musk said at the briefing that the closest the fate of the restored stage, most likely, will lie in conducting a test on a static engine test on launch complex 39A at the Space center. Kennedy (when the engine burn, but the body of the rocket remains fixed).
“We want to make sure that all systems are in order and that we can ask the full rocket thrust,” explained Musk.
This year, the launch vehicle rolled out from the hangar recently built by conveyor belt up the ramp to pad 39A. Technology has already started checking the conveyor, to Refine movements back and forth and have started to assemble the launch pad.
On the basis of the first stage of the Falcon 9 will test the equipment, fuel, starting procedure and the ignition upgraded Merlin 1D engines of the first stage. SpaceX is revolutionizing pad 39A under a lease from NASA for long-term use and test it on Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 in 2016.
In the future, SpaceX also plans to use pad 39A for launching astronauts to the commercial version of the spacecraft Dragon, starting from 2017, in the framework of the contract of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) with NASA.
Musk added that it plans to retain first stage Falcon restored for history and will probably put up somewhere in the Museum. “I think we’ll leave her on earth because it is unique. She first brought back.”