The spectacular video of a SpaceX rocket disguise returning from space

With the attention drawn by Starship’s April 20 launch, the launch of another heavy launcher in early May has been somewhat silent after a series of postponements due to bad Florida weather. It is a falcon heavy From SpaceX which was used to launch the heavy (6.4 tons) ViaSat-3 satellite intended for connectivity of the Americas into geostationary orbit, as well as the smaller and lighter Arcturus (400 kg) and a Gravity Space Cubesat .

The launch was performed perfectly, but unfortunately space enthusiasts were unable to witness the return of the boosters as, due to the mass of the payload and the chosen orbit, it was decided not to recover any of the three first stages. That doesn’t mean that falcon heavy consisted only of old or worn out boosters. For example, the B1068 central launch vehicle was on its first and only flight. Side boosters B1052 and B1053 completed eight flights and three flights, respectively. However, in these hours, a particular video has been released showing the return of one of the two disguise from space with a suggestive scene.

SpaceX shows the video of the return of a disguise from space

As explained in the accompanying text Video what you see is “Reentry of a disguise on the ViaSat-3 mission was the hottest and fastest we’ve ever attempted. The fairings reentered the atmosphere at 15 times the speed of sound and created a large trail of plasma in its final portion”.

Restoring disguises is one of the ways through which SpaceX manages to reduce the cost of its launches and is therefore much more competitive than its competitors (which also speeds up vector reusability). Initially, parachutes were deployed to reduce acceleration and ships were supplied with large nets “Catch Them In Flight”. However, the company found that this process was too time-consuming and the fairings could be salvaged directly from the sea without any particular problems.

The fairings cost six million dollars (the pair) and are made of composite and other materials that allow them to absorb vibration and noise to protect the payload. SpaceX He stated that he is on his 100th recovery and this shows the great savings that have been made over time.

In the video you can see how the fairing reenters and creates spectacular trails of plasma as the air molecules of the atmosphere are compressed and then heated until they change state. The dimensions are approximately 13.1 meters by 5.2 meters and are therefore capable of accommodating very large satellites. To try to steer the descent better, these elements are also equipped with small thrusters and paraglider mobile phone, mobile phone. In the future, Starship will introduce a new cargo section that does not contain disguises, but rather sections that can be opened directly in the upper part of the ship.