Veteran SpaceX Booster Lost Due to Rough Seas
SpaceX has lost one of their veteran Falcon 9 boosters, B1058, due to high winds and powerful waves. This booster had completed 19 flights and made history as the first privately-built rocket to carry humans into orbit. Despite its destruction, SpaceX plans to salvage the remaining hardware to improve reusability.
Surprise Loss of a Veteran Booster
SpaceX's campaign of reusing Falcon 9 boosters has been highly successful, with the goal of making rockets more like cargo aircraft. However, the recently announced loss of B1058 (Nitter) came as a surprise. This 41-meter tall booster had completed its 19th flight and made a perfect landing on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions. Due to high winds and powerful waves, the booster ultimately toppled over after the live stream ended.
The majority of SpaceX's launches now utilize boosters that have already completed multiple flights, showcasing the success of their reuse campaign. The loss of B1058 highlights the challenges and risks involved in reusability, even for a company with such expertise in landing and refurbishing boosters.
A Storied History
B1058 has a notable history in the space industry. In May 2020, it became the first privately-built rocket to carry astronauts into orbit, launching NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the International Space Station. This marked a significant milestone as it was the first crewed spacecraft launched from US soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle orbiters.
The booster continued to make headlines with subsequent missions, including the deployment of South Korea's ANASIS-II military communications satellite and the launch of 60 Starlink satellites. It also carried a remotely-operated Dragon capsule to the ISS during the CRS-21 resupply mission, marking the first time NASA agreed to a mission with a rocket that had more than one previous flight. Throughout its career, B1058 successfully delivered over 860 spacecraft to orbit.
Salvaging and Moving Forward
Although B1058 was largely destroyed in the accident, SpaceX plans to salvage the nine surviving Merlin engines and study any intact hardware. This will contribute to their ongoing efforts to improve reusability and develop rapidly reusable spaceflight systems. Despite the disappointment of losing a storied rocket that could have retired to a museum, SpaceX remains committed to pushing the boundaries of reusable technology in the space industry.
The loss of B1058 serves as a reminder of the inherent challenges and risks involved in space exploration. It highlights the need for perseverance and constant improvement to overcome these obstacles and continue making advancements in the field of reusable rockets.
