Dramatic Video of SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Crash Landing
SpaceX shares video of failed attempt to land Falcon 9 rocket on a barge.
— -- The spectacular moment when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket crash-landed on a barge last weekend was captured on video that the company shared today on Twitter.
The plan was for SpaceX to try and recycle the rocket for use by landing it on a barge shortly after a cargo load blasted off to the International Space Station.
The video shows just how close the Falcon 9 came. However, it landed hard at a 45-degree angle, smashing its legs and engine section, according to CEO Elon Musk.
Having the ability to recycle rockets is something Musk has said will "revolutionize access to space."
"If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred," he said.
The SpaceX mission to the ISS lifted off on Jan. 10 with the company's Dragon vessel carrying 5,000 pounds of supplies and goodies for the astronauts.
The plan was for the Falcon 9 rocket to fall back down to Earth, then make a pinpoint landing on a barge. Musk said before the test that it was a 50-50 chance it would be successful.
In a series of tweets, he explained what went wrong as Falcon 9 attempted the tricky maneuver.
The day wasn't an entire bust, however. The launch marked Dragon's fifth supply trip to the space station, filling in the gap for NASA with cargo deliveries that were slowed down when the Space Shuttle quit flying.
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