Elon Musk Tweets SpaceX Launch Is On
The latest attempt to land a SpaceX rocket’s first-stage at sea is set for Sunday, January 17, 2016.
Elon Musk confirmed on Monday night a rumor that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket would launch on Sunday, January 17, 2016 and attempt to land on a droneship on the water:
SpaceX had already made history by safely landing a first-stage rocket on the ground back on December 21, 2015 — but previous attempts to land a Falcon 9 rocket stage at sea have failed.
The key reason for landing first-stage portions of rockets is to eventually make the crafts reusable—which could make space flight less of a financial burden. Although the Falcon 9 rocket that landed successfully in December has been declared safe for relaunch, Musk has announced SpaceX will use a new rocket for the January 17 run, as the original is to be preserved for museum display:
The SpaceX rocket is scheduled to launch on Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) near Lompoc, California.
