Video of the Day: SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Returns to Earth
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship to the International Space Station last Sunday, August 4, 2024. The rocket’s first stage then returned to Earth for a safe landing. Now you can watch the process in a short video released by SpaceX.
“Follow-up footage of Falcon 9 first stage booster landing and sonic boom,” SpaceX wrote in a caption accompanying the video. Sonic booms are a common atmospheric phenomenon that occurs during the re-entry of the Falcon 9 first stage. The sound is caused when the rocket slows down and breaks the sound barrier.
Sunday’s mission was the 10th for this particular Falcon 9 first stage, according to SpaceX. That’s an impressive reusability figure, but it’s a far cry from the company’s record of 22 successful landings. Overall, SpaceX has made more than 300 successful first stage landings on Falcon 9 missions.
Unlike the Falcon 9 or SpaceX’s Dragon, Cygnus is designed to be used only once. The spacecraft will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after leaving the ISS in January 2025.
