Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) will attempt for its first time Tuesday morning landing the first stage from its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating barge in the Atlantic Ocean, company founder Elon Musk said on Twitter.
Musk described the landing barge as an autonomous spaceport drone ship. Musk said the thrusters were repurposed from deep sea oil rigs that can hold position within three meters even in a storm. SpaceX has “soft landed” the Falcon 9 first stage into oceans after previous launches as part of its long-term goal of creating a reusable launch vehicle.
SpaceX is set for its fifth Cargo Resupply Services (CRS-5) mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Launch is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:18 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. If all goes as planned, the Dragon space capsule will arrive at the station approximately two days after liftoff. Dragon is expected to return to earth 4 1/2 weeks later for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of southern California, according to the company.
SpaceX Vice President of Mission Assurance Hans Koenigsmann Monday recognized the challenge of landing the first stage on a barge, noting how small the barge will look from about 150 miles into suborbit.
“I think the position accuracy of (the barge) is the primary challenge” of landing the first stage, Koenigsmann told reporters during a press briefing. “It’s not a lot of room to maneuver, everything has to really be working fine.”
Koenigsmann said Musk gave 50/50 odds on successfully landing Dragon’s first stage on the barge. CRS-5 is the fifth of at least 12 missions to ISS that SpaceX will fly for NASA under the Cargo Resupply Services contract. CRS is to deliver cargo and supplies to ISS.