SpaceX launches supplies to space station in its first reused Dragon capsule
Successful reuse of the Dragon capsule is significant for SpaceX’s materials technology, but in general, the spacecraft reuse is less significant than that of the first-stage booster
SpaceX launched supplies to the International Space Station in a previously used Dragon spacecraft for the first time on Saturday and then landed the rocket’s first-stage booster back on Earth.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off a little after 2pm from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The launch had originally been set for Thursday afternoon but was scrubbed because of weather.
The Dragon capsule for this mission was previously used in 2014 to carry supplies to the space station. For this launch, it was filled with almost 6,000 pounds of crew supplies, hardware and science research, including equipment to study neutron stars.
In preparation for the flight, the California-based space company replaced some parts on the Dragon, such as the heat shield. But the majority of the components, including the hull and thrusters, were able to be reused, said Hans Koenigsmann, vice-president of mission assurance at SpaceX.
Watch: SpaceX launches first recycled cargo ship
“The majority of this Dragon has been in space before,” he said during a pre-launch news conference last week.