SpaceX is going to try to launch its CRS-6 International Space Station resupply mission again today at 4:10 PM ET, after having to scrub the launch yesterday due to adverse weather conditions. Weather today looks mostly favorable, with NASA reporting a “60 percent chance of acceptable conditions” for the target window at the Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida.
The launch today, if it goes off, will feature the Falcon 9 rocket transporting the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to orbit, where it will rendezvous with the ISS to delivery a cargo of supplies (including an Arkyd 3 satellite). For SpaceX, it also represents a second chance to attempt recovery of the reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, using their autonomous drone barge landing platform.
We’ll have updates as they come in, and will keep our fingers crossed that weather conditions hold out for the launch this afternoon.
UPDATE: The rocket is away! The next big step is attempting recovery of stage one of the Falcon 9 rocket.
UPDATE 2: Dragon has successfully separated from the second stage Falcon 9 rocket.
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UPDATE 3: The webcast has ended, but we’re still awaiting word regarding the landing barge attempt of the reusable first-stage rocket.
UPDATE 4: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared the following, indicating that the attempted recovery of the reusable stage one rocket failed – the rocket landed on the autonomous barge, but it impacted too hard to survive to be used again. Still, the attempt will likely provide lots of useful data to inform the next try.
Ascent successful. Dragon enroute to Space Station. Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2015
Here’s an image shared by SpaceX of the Falcon 9 first stage rocket approaching the barge (aka Just Read the Instructions) prior to the hard landing.
Musk says the stage landed mostly intact, but then tipped over after landing. This should be good news for future attempts:
Looks like Falcon landed fine, but excess lateral velocity caused it to tip over post landing pic.twitter.com/eJWzN6KSJa
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 14, 2015
