ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX plans to try again Sunday evening to land its used rocket on an unmanned barge in the Atlantic Ocean after it launches a satellite into space, an experiment seen as a big step toward making space launches significantly less expensive.
The company is scheduled to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:10 p.m. EST, to carry a space-weather monitoring satellite into space.
The satellite, called the Deep Space Climate Observatory, will help NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Air Force better monitor events such as geomagnetic storms caused by changes in the sun’s wind.
Minutes after the rocket’s launch, SpaceX will attempt to land its next big dream, with ramifications for the space industry worldwide. At stake is SpaceX’s plan to make its rockets reusable, which would revolutionize launches and reduce costs.
“I don’t think it’s too strong to say it really is a game-changing event,” said Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. “I think it’s going to have a huge impact on the industry from a cost perspective.”
The company now charges $61 million for most launches.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.