by Jason Snell
SpaceX landing: So close…
Yesterday SpaceX tried to land the first stage of their Falcon rocket on a drone barge in the Pacific Ocean. It would’ve been the first time that feat had been accomplished—the company landed a first stage on dry land at Cape Canaveral last month—and they came so close.
Unfortunately, the lockout collet didn’t land on one of the four legs, so even though the rocket hit its target perfectly, it couldn’t stay standing, and toppled over. Still, this is an amazing feat—and huge news for the space industry, because once rockets can be routinely re-used, the cost of spaceflight will decrease dramatically.