Falcon 9 Flight 24
Falcon 9 Flight 24 was the 24th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, which launched Japanese communications satellite JCSAT-14 to geostationary transfer orbit on May 6, 2016, 05:21. After the launch the first stage of the rocket landed successfully on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean.[1]
Reflight testing
As of July 2016, SpaceX has never attempted a reflight of one of their successfully-landed first stage booster rockets. The first stage on flight 24 encountered "extreme temperatures during its reentry into Earth atmosphere" and was subsequently identified a candidate for reflight, and as a "reference vehicle" for further testing. It is undergoing a series of tests, including a 150-second full-duration engine firing which was successfully completed on 28 July 2016. Additional tests will be conducted before SpaceX determines the stage's suitability for reuse on a subsequent launch.[2]
See also
- For details on the satellite and customer, see JCSAT-14
- For details on the landing, see Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests#Flight 24: first return from GTO mission
- For other Falcon 9 launches, see List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches
References
- ↑ "SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster suffered 'max' damage on landing".
- ↑ Berger, Eric (2016-07-29). "SpaceX takes another step toward reusability with 150-second engine test". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2016-07-29.