SpaceX launch used rocket

[Zimme83]

After a successful launch and landing of a used Falcon 9 SpaceX have reached another huge milestone. 

[Beefcake]

I was watching the live feed a work, cheering and hoping everything would go well which it seems to have. Seeing a "Wright Brothers" moment really makes your day. 

[PR3D4TOR]

Big day for "cheap" access to space. Step one complete. Step two: Bring the second stage back for reuse.

The vision:



https://youtu.be/sSF81yjVbJE

[hotcoffe]

  wait for me Mars !

[PR3D4TOR]

And the Falcon Heavy


https://youtu.be/4Ca6x4QbpoM

[eagl]

Still need to man-rate everything.

[PR3D4TOR]

True, but their long term goal is to minimize inspections between flights. At some point LEO-access spacecraft will be "refuel and go", like planes today.

[Wolfala]

Remember,  the original Rockwall design concepts for the shuttle were SSTO. Reason you ended up with two strap ons  was because of a parallel soviet effort we wanted to beat.  So instead of a reusable design we ended up with a kludge.  One could argue we got in-flight satellite servicing -  which is a capability we can't duplicate without a version 2 orbiter.  But the throw weight of the orbiter was way below the original specification and what we ended up with was more out of expediency then a rational design criteria. 

[PR3D4TOR]

This year SpaceX and NASA will fly humans on the Crew Dragon. Like the rest of the system it will use propulsive landing. Wings are so 20th century...


https://youtu.be/RmfxqSseakM

They also plan on a Moon fly-by with two paying passengers this year, and an unmanned Mars mission next year.

[FBDragon]

lol I've got front row seats for every launch!! I live in Daytona Beach and lived in Cape Canaveral, hell I just had go sit on my balcony and watch and feel them. Wife hated them cause they kept knockingcrap off the shelves!