The Rise and Fall of SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Model B1058: A Retrospective

2023-12-27 03:49:55

The scene was majestic when he appeared, but his exit was a bit bleak, which makes people a little sad. The Falcon 9 booster model B1058, which has carried out 19 launch missions, successfully launched a new batch of Starlink satellites on the 23rd and recovered it on a sea tender. However, it overturned on the way back to the port on the 26th because it might not withstand the strong winds and waves. , ending SpaceX’s record of not losing a single booster since February 2021 (although the B1058 model is also scheduled to be retired at the end of this mission).

The SpaceX Falcon 9 booster model B1058 made its debut on the historic Demo-2 manned mission in May 2020. It was put into flight for the first time, carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, symbolizing the United States’ success since 2011. This is the first time since the end of the space shuttle program that local manned flight capabilities have been restored.

Since then, the B1058 model has also performed ANASIS-11, CRS-21, Transporter-1, Transporter-3 missions and 13 Starlink missions, and is scheduled to complete the 19th and final Starlink Group mission on December 23 6-32 Retire following success.

Now it seems that it is on another road to retirement.

On the 23rd, 23 V2 Mini Starlink satellites were deployed into the correct orbit. Although the B1058 booster successfully landed on the sea tender and was recovered, it overturned due to strong winds and waves on the way back to the port on the 26th, leaving only the deck. Three landing legs, nine engines and part of the booster, and the other half of the wreckage should have sunk to the bottom of the sea.

SpaceX said they still plan to salvage the engines and inspect the remaining hardware. After all, the booster still has considerable value, and some of the engines appear to be usable following repair. In addition, the newer Falcon 9 rocket booster landing legs have been upgraded to automatically adjust their balance to alleviate such load imbalance problems.

The B1058 booster launched two astronauts and more than 860 satellites into orbit in three and a half years, carrying a total of more than 260 metric tons. Since February 2021, no Falcon 9 booster has been lost during the recovery process. After the scrapping of the B1058 model, SpaceX should currently have 16 active Falcon 9 first-stage boosters, and there are still three more The new booster awaits its first takeoff.

(Source of first picture:Filmscreenshot)

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