After
SpaceX successfully blasted three satellites into space early Thursday
morning, the company tried to catch the Falcon 9 rocket's expensive
nosecone, also known as a fairing, on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. The
vessel, named "Mr. Steven," was outfitted with a giant net.
According
to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the boat missed catching the fairing by "a few
hundred meters," but he thinks there's a simple fix: Bigger parachutes
to better control the parachuting fairing.
Missed by a few hundred meters, but fairing landed intact in water. Should be able catch it with slightly bigger chutes to slow down descent.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018
The
fairing, which sheltered and released the payload during the rocket
launch, parachuted down to the Pacific Ocean. A GPS guidance system
helped guide the parachute close to the long, outstretched metallic arms
of the awaiting ship.
Assuming the nosecone is in good shape, SpaceX may still try and retrieve it from the water.
Source: Yahoo News
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