Fairing plays a huge role in rocket launches. Acting as a two-piece protective layer, SpaceX has designed two fairing halves with special netting to catch them when they fall. Without any programming beforehand, fairing halves use a parachute to slow them down. Ships must be positioned correctly to catch these.
SpaceX finally managed to catch both fairing halves of a Falcon 9 rocket launch today. CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk made an exciting announcement on Twitter:
Both fairing halves caught from space by @SpaceX ships!
For all previous launches, recovery attempts for catching both fairing halves remained unsuccessful. Only a single half was retrieved back in June 2019, and once more in January 2020.
In addition to re-using old components, managing to catch both fairing halves can save up to $6 million. As reported by Techcrunch, Elon Musk also has plans to “capture Crew Dragon capsules as they return to Earth”. This would prove to be a safe option once the fairing system is perfected.
SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is continuing its rapid expansion, and the company is now on track to surpass 10,000 satellites in orbit by February 2026 — a milestone that would cement Starlink as one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever deployed in space. Looking at cumulative deployment trends over the past six years, the pace […]
SpaceX’s Starlink is proving that high-speed satellite internet isn’t just for homes, RVs, or airplanes — it can also keep up with off-road race trucks blasting through the desert at full throttle. In a new showcase shared by Starlink, competitive off-road racing team 1 Nine Industries and Terrible Herbst Motorsports used Starlink connectivity to prepare […]
SpaceX’s Starlink is closer than ever to launching in South Africa after a major regulatory shift removed one of the biggest barriers blocking the satellite internet provider from entering the country. As first highlighted by longtime Tesla watcher @SERobinsonJr, South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has issued a new directive — […]
