SpaceX misses catching Falcon 9 rocket fairing with a giant net on a big ship

SpaceX misses catching Falcon 9 rocket fairing with a giant net on a big ship

6 years ago
Anonymous $v9r5mEH86V

https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/22/spacex-misses-catching-falcon-9-rocket-fairing-with-a-giant-net-on-a-big-ship/

SpaceX nearly succeeded in catching the fairing used in its PAZ Falcon 9 mission on Thursday, using a barge called ‘Mr. Steven’ that uses four giant arms with a net strung between them to secure the used nosecone once it floats back from space. The fairing missed the boat by just a few hundred meters, but did land intact in the water, at least.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk noted that the attempt was underway shortly after launch, and the fairing’s parafoil, which helps it decelerate and return to Earth at a speed that makes it possible for the barge to catch it without damage, deployed as planned.