Rocket landings never get old, as a new video shows.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft toward the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday (Aug. 4). The rocket’s first stage then returned to Earth for a safe landing, which the 37-second video chronicles in great detail, both visual and auditory.
“Tracking footage of Falcon 9’s first stage booster landing and sonic boom,” SpaceX wrote in a description of the video, which it posted to X on Monday (Aug. 5).
Sonic booms are common occurrences during Falcon 9 first-stage reentries. The sound comes as the boosters decelerate, crossing the sound barrier in the high-to-low-speed direction.
Sunday’s mission was the 10th for this particular Falcon 9 first stage, according to SpaceX. That’s an impressive reuse tally but far from the company record, which stands at a whopping 22. Overall, SpaceX has landed boosters more than 300 times during Falcon 9 missions.
The Cygnus carried more than 4 tons of food, scientific experiments and other supplies to the ISS on its current mission, which is called NG-21. (It’s the 21st trip to the orbiting lab for a Cygnus.)
Unlike the Falcon 9 or SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, the Cygnus is designed for one-time use. The freighter will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after it departs from the ISS in January 2025.
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