In December, SpaceX has made a revolutionary step in space technology when it successfully landed the rocket booster of its Falcon 9 rocket back to the launch site. This was a historic moment for SpaceX. SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk and is a company that is only thirteen years old. Further, Falcon 9’s successful landing emphasizes the progress made by SpaceX and the lessons learned from past failures. On Elon Musk’s 44th birthday, he learned that a Falcon 9 rocket holding cargo for the ISS exploded two minutes after liftoff. A faulty strut in the liquid oxygen tank had caused the explosion. After, SpaceX attempted to land the rocket’s first stage on ocean platforms. In the first attempt, the booster landed too hard because the hydraulic systems ran out of fluid. On the second attempt, a stuck valve prevented the booster from maintaining its balance after landing, which caused it to topple over and explode.

This historic landing will create huge savings in space travel. Musk estimates the savings to be a factor of 100. It also brings us one step closer to Musk’s dream-creating a Mars colony. The landed booster will be used for static tests; Musk says that it will not be used again but rather kept on the ground because of its historical significance.


<John Chae, Cerritos High School 11th Grade>