SpaceX Did SpaceX's Attempt to Reland Their Rocket on a Floating Platform Fail?

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SpaceX attempted to land a rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean to reduce launch costs, but the mission faced challenges due to darkness and fog, making video capture difficult. The landing was nearly successful, but the rocket reportedly ran out of hydraulic fluid, leading to the failure. Previous tests involved vertical hops, and this attempt marked a significant advancement in their technology. Discussions highlighted the importance of understanding the velocity at landing and the implications of fuel management. Overall, there is optimism that SpaceX will improve their landing success in future attempts.
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Seeking to cut the cost of space launches, SpaceX hoped to bring the rocket back to Earth, aiming to land it on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean some 200 miles (322 km) off Jacksonville, Fla., north of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site. A ship stationed near the platform tried to capture the touchdown on video, but it was too dark and foggy, Musk said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/10/us-space-spacex-idUSKBN0KJ08120150110

Sniff sniff! A neologism, reland?
 
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I wonder how "reland" is different from "land". It would indicate you do landing more than once ("we relanded on a comet!").

That looks like a big step forward. The last attempts I saw where the vertical hops above the launch pad, and now they tried to use that in an actual space rocket.
 
I think that the vertical hops may have been a different project and I have seen videos of take-off, traverse, return and land. IIRC the project used an environmentally benign propellant, maybe liquid air and propane.
 
Thanks for the move. Yur korrect.
 
The question is what velocity did they hit at and did they run out of fuel?
 
Apparently it was very nearly a success but they ran out of hydraulic fluid in some component that caused the failed landing. I'd be surprised if they didn't get it right next time.
 
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I noticed the fluid problem but saw no mention of a leak failure or a total loss system (open loop) exhaustion.
 
Yeah I don't know any more than that. I have a couple friends who work at SpaceX but somehow I doubt they would be very forthcoming if I asked them.
 

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