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Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Requiescat in Pace, B1058. Pax Vobiscum

Rest in peace, Booster 1058.  Peace be with you. 

Booster 1058 successfully flew for its 19th operational flight on Friday night, setting the new fleet leadership and reuse record.  Unfortunately, surviving the trip home on the recovery drone was apparently more hazardous than flying well above the edge of space and landing on that metaphorical postage stamp of a recovery drone.  B1058 fell over on deck due to high seas, ending its spectacular life and career.  

Screen capture from the start of this video, which shows many still shots of the ruined booster on deck, then followed by a short video of launch and landing of each of 1058's 19 missions.  As you'll see clearly in the video, the Octagrabber gave its all in trying to save B1058 and was a bit ripped apart.  Chances are it will be reparable - far more so than the booster's chances.  

As the video title reminds us, B1058 was the booster that returned manned spaceflight to the US at the end of May, 2020, after the painful years without that capability and hiring the Russians to do that for us.  

SpaceX posted four images from earlier missions and this short summary:

May of '20 to December of '23 is 3-1/2 years.  We're saying good bye to a 3-1/2 year old, used rocket.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have imagined that happening back in '20, before that first flight.



11 comments:

  1. Sure it fell, after 19 successful launches. What's any other company's/nation's record? Oh, that's right, Zero.

    SpaceX, doing what every other company won't.

    But, well, what a bummer way to end such a storied career.

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  2. Replies
    1. SpaceX says they'll salvage as many pieces/parts as possible. Again, doing what legacy aerospace fails to do.

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  3. And it's notable that she flew and landed 18 times, it was a transport failure that did her in. Which, as you mentioned, SiG, SpaceX has already solved the issue by improvements on the Falcons and the Octograbber (which is sorely thrashed, wouldn't be surprised if Octo Mk II comes out soon.)

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  4. Why would they attempt such a landing in rough seas. To be a viable choice the company needs alternative sites for both launch and landing.

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    Replies
    1. The landing was NOT on rough seas. And, if you can find a better way to do it, by all means contact SpaceX.

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  5. Ah ,booster B1058 - we hardly knew ye, you just got started. Ignominious end, sorry old chap. You gave it your best.

    Onward!

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  6. Actually, should be a celebration of Musk's reuseable modules!

    Pity the Biden crew seems against his efforts. Licensing and eco stuff about his launch pad and not hiring DIE people seems to offend them as much as his successes.

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    Replies
    1. Space is an unforgiving bitch, and Science has no room for DIE crapola. The Ecoweenies can all have a (literal!) die off and improve the species and reduce their carbon footprint. But, of course, being the hypocrites they are that will never happen.

      Just how many successful launches has Congress performed, anyway?

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  7. That we are talking about a reusable booster at all is amazing, at least to me.

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