SN-10, Spacex's latest test article for a re-usable spacecraft, made a perfect landing just a few minutes ago in Boca Chica Texas.
It was the second launch attempt today, as the first attempt aborted immediately upon starting of the main engines. The rapid turnaround was achieved in but a few hours, as Elon Musk said that the thrust tolerances were too strict, and so nothing was really wrong enough to scrub for the day.
The rocket rose slowly after launch and proceeded gradually towards its destination altitude, then began its descent downward towards the landing pad. The rocket fired up all three engines, as opposed to just two in previous attempts to land. Nothing appeared to go wrong at all. The rocket shut down one engine at a time until it made the soft landing.
A small fire appeared shortly after landing, but it appeared to be nothing serious. All in all, a perfect test for the new Spacecraft, which is being developed and tested at an unheard-of pace.
Musk hopes for a Mars landing as early as 2024. He has yet to get his new rocket to orbit, and the booster has yet to fly. But this test brings him one step closer to his goal of putting humans on another world to stay.
Oops! It blew up later. But the landing was good, but maybe not quite good enough.
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