Image via Space Explored
Space exploration company SpaceX uses drone ships in the ocean to land its rockets after launches, and according to a new report, the company is currently constructing a new one while it transfers the old one to a different part of the country.
SpaceX’s new drone ship, named A Shortfall of Gravitas, is still being constructed and has officially received its wings through a new deck extension, as reported by Space Explored. The ship will replace SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You on the company’s east coast recovery fleet, following the latter’s departure for the west coast.
SpaceX Sends 60 Starlink Satellites into Orbit; Falcon 9 Hits 100th Straight Successful Launch https://t.co/nZjeMJY39d
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) May 27, 2021
While SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral, Florida launches have slowed down due to the company’s completion of Starlink’s first orbital shell – along with the company prioritizing higher-priority government launches – the company is still planning to use the second drone ship in Florida with Falcon Heavy set to launch again soon.
Last week, SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 booster for a U.S. Space Force satellite before it landed perfectly on the company’s Of Course I Still Love You drone ship. New filings were also revealed last month showing that SpaceX is building a new tent structure at Port Canaveral, which will take up a 40-foot square of the company’s space on the land.
