#f9029

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that launched the Iridium-1 mission arrived at the Port of Los Angeles early this morning, January 17. Iridium-1 marked the first successful west-coast landing of the rocket’s first stage, landing on Just Read the Instructions eight minutes after launch January 14. In the coming days, the rocket will be attached to a crane, have its four landing legs removed, and lowered to a horizontal position for transport to the company’s Hawthorne factory and headquarters. Four previous successful droneship landings on the east coast have seen SpaceX become more efficient at their recovery operations, and the booster should arrive by the end of this coming weekend. Once the rocket has been checked out at Hawthorne, it will be reused for a future mission. SpaceX is expecting to refly a first stage for the first time in the coming months, likely using the core of the CRS-8 mission from April, 2016. P/C: Gene Blevins, Imgur.

The Amos-6 Falcon 9 on SLC-40 earlier today, prior to the start of today’s static fire operations. With less than eight minutes remaining before the start of the test, an anomaly with the upper stage Liquid Oxygen Tank’s interface with the strongback’s Ground Support Equipment caused the vehicle to explode. The rocket and the $200 million dollar satellite were lost. Static fires occur before each Falcon 9 mission to ensure that the launch complex’s systems - known collectively as Ground Support Equipment - are working properly with the rocket’s systems. Propellant loading of the rocket was nearly complete at the time of the incident.

P/c: Ian Dawson