SpaceX will once again attempt a vertical landing of the booster stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, following a launch scheduled for April 13. Liftoff is scheduled to take place from Cape Canaveral at 4:33 p.m. EDT.
This mission will carry a load of supplies to the International Space Station before returning to Earth, utilizing the as-yet-unproven Buck Rogers-style landing system. Unlike most spaceships that splash into the ocean or land on runways on wheels, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket is designed to land vertically, using its main engines to gently touch down back on Earth.
The Falcon 9 system failed spectacularly during the last test flight, exploding in a brilliant fireball after crashing into a floating barge holding a landing pad designed for the system. Engineers concluded that fins necessary for guidance ran out of hydraulic fluid, causing the vehicle to land at an angle which resulted in the booster exploding on touchdown.
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