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Two Falcon rockets returned to the site Tuesday morning after launching a military mission into space.
Trevor Mahelman
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Close-up of the nearest booster burning a single Merlin engine to slow down.
Trevor Mahelman
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Two falcons almost on the ground.
Trevor Mahelman
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Kick off some dust.
Trevor Mahelman
Tuesday morning, Falcon Heavy missile It was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, carrying a pair of US Space Force satellites into geostationary orbit.
This was the fourth time the Falcon Heavy had been launched, but it was the first time that SpaceX had invited a few photographers to set up remote cameras next to Landing Zone 2, which is located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is one of two concrete pads where Falcon 9 rockets have been launched from Florida from time to time.
Both circular landing pads, with a diameter of 86 meters, were busy Tuesday morning with the return of a pair of side boosters from the Falcon Heavy launch. After separating from the base stage of the heavy rocket, these boosters then made a thruster landing. The first touched 8 minutes and 15 seconds after launch. The second followed five seconds later.
Trevor Mahlman, who shot Ars, was among those invited to capture the landing moment. Official launch video And the landing is impressive, but Mahleman’s shots (and the video) Do a great job of capturing the fire and fury of the missiles as one engine burns to bring the missile’s speed closer to zero.
SpaceX will now refurbish these side bolsters for reuse on the Army’s upcoming Falcon Heavy mission, USSF-67, as early as next January. The core of the center was not recovered and fell far into the Atlantic Ocean.
List image by Trevor Mahelman
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