Commercial Space

The SpaceX Booster is Back in Town, Legs Quickly Detached: Photo/Video Gallery

Recovered SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch is towed into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL atop OCISLY droneship to flocks of birds and onlookers as Atlantic Ocean waves crash onshore at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

PORT CANAVERAL/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – ‘The SpaceX boosters back in town! The boosters back in town!’ paraphrasing the popular lyrics of the hit single from Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy – its what comes to mind with the speedy cadence of ‘launch, land and relaunch’ firmly established by CEO Elon Musk’s hard rocking crew of mostly youthful rocket scientists and engineers.

Barely three days after successfully launching the commercial KoreaSat-5A telecomsat on Monday Oct 30, the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster that did the heavy lifting to orbit generating 1.7 million pounds of liftoff thrust – arrived back in town Thursday, Nov. 2 or more specifically back into Port Canaveral, Florida.

“Guess who’s back in town?” – the song continues – well its the Falcon 9 that reached the edge of space on Halloween Eve while traveling several thousand miles per hour, flipped around like a witches broom and carried out a pinpoint propulsive and upright touchdown of what amounts to a stick on a board in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Just amazing!

Floating atop the football field sized platform upon which it soft landed 8.5 minutes after the two stage Falcon 9 lifted off at 3:34 p.m. EDT (1934 GMT) from seaside Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 16 story tall booster arrived back into the mouth of Port Canaveral late Thursday at sunset – as witnessed up close by myself and several space journalist colleagues.

Check out our expanding photo and video gallery compiled here of the boosters arrival into Port on the OCISLY droneship. The gallery is growing so check back again for more up close looks of the ocean arrival, sailing and docking.

Used SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch sails into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Julian Leek

Furthermore the four landing legs that made the landing sequence possible – have already been quickly detached by workers this afternoon, as shown here with additional incredible up close imagery.

Up close look as technicians quickly work to detach all 4 landing legs from the recovered SpaceX Falcon 9 Koreasat-5A booster on Nov. 3, 2017 after it sailed into Port Canaveral the day before. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com
Up close look as technicians quickly work to detach all 4 landing legs from the recovered SpaceX Falcon 9 Koreasat-5A booster on Nov. 3, 2017 after it sailed into Port Canaveral the day before. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

Plus also featured are lots of imagery of the booster sailing through the narrow channel of Port Canaveral – often past seemingly oblivious spectators and pleasure craft who have no idea what they are seeing. As well as imagery of work crews processing the booster for the eventual return back onto base.

Recovered SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch is towed into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL atop OCISLY droneship to flocks of birds and onlookers as Atlantic Ocean waves crash onshore at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

The 156 foot-tall first stage atop OCISLY was towed from the Atlantic Ocean landing zone located several hundred miles off shore of the Florida’s East coast back into Port Canaveral by a tugboat named “Hawk.”

The Hawk was accompanied by a small naval flotilla of commercial vessels SpaceX leased for the occasion.

Entering the mouth of Port Canaveral channel at sunset Nov. 2, 2017, a tugboat tows the recovered SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch atop OCISLY droneship. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

In fact with each booster return the SpaceX technicians are progressing faster and faster carrying out the booster processing involving safing, cap and line attachment, leg removal, and lowering the booster for horizontal placement on a specially outfitted lengthy multi-wheeled trailer for hauling back to SpaceX hangar facilities on the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Entering the mouth of Port Canaveral channel at sunset Nov. 2, 2017, a tugboat tows the recovered SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch atop OCISLY droneship. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

After arriving in port, and sailing through the channel for about 45 minutes the SpaceX flotilla carefully and methodically edged the droneship closer to shore and docked the vessel last night – and the crews got a well deserved rest as the booster basked in the maritime glow producing beautiful water reflection vistas.

SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Koreasat-5A launch stands tall and rests at night on droneship after Port Canaveral arrival Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

The team wasted no time this morning. At the crack of dawn they began the task of attaching a hoisting cap to the top of the first stage.

Shortly after 9 a.m. EDT they craned the booster off OCISLY and onto a restraining pedestal platform on land.

The techs were working fast and making mincemeat of the booster.

They detached the four insect like legs one after another in an operation that looked a lot like a well thought out dissection.

One at a fime over a period about roughly two hour the workers methodically unbolted and detached the legs in 2 pieces. First they they slung a harness around the upper strut and removed it with a small crane. Then they did the same with the lower foot pad.

Altogether the land leg amputation operation took about 2.5 hours.

The now legless Falcon 9 stands erect. It will soon be lowered and placed horizontally for transport back to the base.

SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage booster is hoisted off OCISLY droneship after being towed through the channel of Port Canaveral, FL on Nov. 2. It successfully launched KoreaSat-5A telecomsat to orbit on Oct. 30, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

It has been barely two weeks after the last dogeship landed booster arrived back into port in mid-October for the SES-11 launch on October 11 and sunrise port arrival on October 15.

OCISLY which stands for “Of Course I Still Love You” left Port Canaveral several days ahead of the planned Oct. 30 launch and was prepositioned in the Atlantic Ocean several hundred miles (km) off the US East coast, awaiting the boosters approach and pinpoint propulsive soft landing.

The booster was outfitted with four grid fins and four landing legs to accomplish the pinpoint touchdown on the barge at sea.

Watch this video of the SpaceX booster return to Port Canaveral, FL, from the KoreaSat-5 mission:

Video caption: The booster from the KoreaSat-5 mission returns to Port Canaveral, FL, on the SpaceX drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You” on Nov. 2, 2017 after a successful landing at sea. Credit: Jeff Seibert

Video caption: After launching from the Kennedy Space LC-39A the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage landed on the OCISLY droneship offshore. It was towed back to Port Canaveral to be refurbished and used again in a later launch. Credit: Julian Leek

To date SpaceX has accomplished 19 successful landings of a recovered Falcon 9 first stage booster by land and by sea.

SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off with KoreaSat-5A commercial telecomsat atop Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, FL, on Halloween eve 30 Oct 2017. As seen from inside the pad perimeter. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of SpaceX KoreaSat-5A & SES-11, ULA NROL-52 and NASA and space mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news.

Ken Kremer

Flight proven SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch is towed into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL amidst a flock of birds encircling OCISLY droneship at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com
Entering the mouth of Port Canaveral channel at sunset Nov. 2, 2017, a tugboat tows the recovered SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch atop OCISLY droneship. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com
SpaceX used booster from Koreasat-5A launch sails through Port Canaveral atop OCISLY droneship at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com
Fisherman enjoys serene sunset as SpaceX used booster from Koreasat-5A launch sails through Port Canaveral atop OCISLY droneship on Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com
Flight proven SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch sails into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Dawn Leek Taylor
Used SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch sails into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Julian Leek
Flight proven SpaceX first stage booster from KoreaSat-5A launch sails into the mouth of Port Canaveral, FL at sunset Nov. 2, 2017. Credit: Julia Bergeron
Ken Kremer

Dr. Ken Kremer is a speaker, research scientist, freelance science journalist (KSC area,FL) and photographer whose articles, space exploration images and Mars mosaics have appeared in magazines, books, websites and calendars including Astronomy Picture of the Day, NBC, FOX, BBC, SPACE.com, Spaceflight Now, Science and the covers of Aviation Week & Space Technology, Spaceflight and the Explorers Club magazines. Ken has presented at numerous educational institutions, civic & religious organizations, museums and astronomy clubs. Ken has reported first hand from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, NASA Wallops, NASA Michoud/Stennis/Langley and on over 80 launches including 8 shuttle launches. He lectures on both Human and Robotic spaceflight - www.kenkremer.com. Follow Ken on Facebook and Twitter

Recent Posts

Other Liquids Could Be Forming Minerals on Mars

Most people will think of a dry arid landscape when they think of Mars. When…

12 hours ago

Jared Isaacman is Trump’s Choice for NASA Administrator

As a new President of the United States is elected, the NASA administrator role is…

12 hours ago

NASA Pushes Human Moon Landing Back to 2027

The Artemis moon landings are delayed again due to technical difficulties. This time, the problem…

12 hours ago

Advanced Civilizations Could be Indistinguishable from Nature

Sometimes in science you have to step back and take another look at underlying assumptions.…

16 hours ago

MAUVE: An Ultraviolet Astrophysics Probe Mission Concept

For the past thirty years, NASA's Great Observatories - the Hubble, Spitzer, Compton, and Chandra…

1 day ago

Cosmology is at a Crossroads, But New Instruments are Coming to Help

Thanks to Hubble, JWST, and the Planck mission, we're starting to see cracks in the…

2 days ago