On Monday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a capsule, already used in 2017, took off with 2,600 kg of food and scientific equipment to be delivered to ISS.
The US company SpaceX managed Monday to recycle a rocket and a capsule already used in the past, intended to supply the astronauts of the International Space Station (ISS).
The Space X Falcon 9 rocket launched yesterday has been also used in August 2017
The Falcon 9 rocket, with the unmanned capsule Dragon, took off at the scheduled time, at 16:30, from a launch pad owned by NASA at Cape Canaveral, in Florida.
“This is the second supply mission for NASA for which we not only use a launcher already in use but also a Dragon capsule who has already flown to the International Space Station,” Jessica Jensen, the director of the Dragon missions within SpaceX, declared before the launch.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 launched on Mondays flew for the last time in August 2017, and the Dragon capsule joined the ISS even earlier, in April 2016. Last December, SpaceX had for the first time reused a rocket and a capsule during a single mission.
This was the 14th SpaceX mission for NASA
The capsule was loaded with nearly 2,600 kg of food and scientific equipment, including a study project to research the storms on Earth.
The cargo ship is due to dock at the space station on Wednesday morning and will remain in orbit for nearly a month before returning to earth. This is SpaceX’s 14th supply mission for NASA.
The California-based company is striving to lower the costs of space missions by reusing its rockets and other components after each launch, instead of setting them to plunge into the ocean upon reentering in the Earth’s atmosphere.
“What’s really great about it is that it’s becoming the norm,” Jessica Jensen said.
In conclusion, during the 14th mission SpaceX is handling for NASA, a pre-flown SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched on Monday afternoon carrying 2,600 kg of foods and equipment to replenish the International Space Station resources.
