SpaceX has lost the center core of its Falcon Heavy rocket after it fell in the sea following its mission last Thursday. The company said rough sea conditions resulted in the booster shifting on the drone ship before toppling over and falling into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
SpaceX has lost the center core booster of its Falcon Heavy rocket after it fell into the ocean in stormy conditions.
The booster of the world’s most powerful operational rocket made a successful landing on the SpaceX drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean on April 11 following its second-ever launch and its first commercial mission.
“Over the weekend, due to rough sea conditions, SpaceX’s recovery team was unable to secure the center core booster for its return trip to Port Canaveral,” SpaceX said in a statement on Monday. “As conditions worsened with 8- to 10-foot swells, the booster began to shift and ultimately was unable to remain upright. While we had hoped to bring the booster back intact, the safety of our team always takes precedence. We do not expect future missions to be impacted.
