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Falcon 9 booster retires after 32nd flight
A SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage flew for the 32nd and final time on July 21, launching Northrop Grumman’s MRV-MEP mission to geostationary transfer orbit.
Image: ITzine
A SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage has completed its 32nd and final flight. The booster launched on July 21 from Cape Canaveral, sending Northrop Grumman’s MRV-MEP mission to geostationary transfer orbit before ending its service career.
The payload combined a Mission Robotic Vehicle equipped with robotic manipulators and three Mission Extension Pod modules. The system is designed to service satellites in geostationary orbit: the pods are meant to dock with customer spacecraft and extend their operational life by about six years.
For Northrop Grumman, the mission is also a notable test of a different satellite business model: servicing spacecraft already in orbit instead of replacing them early. The source frames that as a still-niche market, but one that could show whether on-orbit satellite repair and life extension can become commercially viable.
The article was written by Maxim Tretyakov, a technical columnist at ITzine who, according to the publication, has prepared 740 pieces covering smartphone launches, neural network features in consumer gadgets, and the Russian auto industry.
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Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via ITzine
