Catching nose cone after SpaceX satellite launch failed

It failed to capture half of the nose cone, or fairing, of the used Falcon 9 rocket Friday night after a satellite launch by SpaceX. An attempt had already failed in February. The current launch went as expected.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announces that the nose cone ‘hit the water at high speed’. It is unclear exactly what the damage is. It was planned to do the fairing using the boat Mr. Steven and a large safety net. Musk writes that the parachute tangled, making the landing hard. The air displacement of the nose cone would have made steering difficult. In the coming weeks, Musk plans to conduct a ‘drop test’ with a helicopter to solve the problem. A nose cone costs around six million dollars.

The launch of ten Iridium satellites proceeded according to SpaceX good. Ars Technica writes that part of the launch could not be followed via video. SpaceX said this was due to restrictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A spokesperson for the agency told the site that he was not aware of this. The site cites the theory that it would be some sort of “retaliation” by the NOAA for the missing license for the cameras deployed during the Falcon Heavy’s launch.

At a launch in February, the nose cone capture also failed. The structure then remained intact. Like reusing the Falcon 9, repurposing nosecones should bring down the cost of performing launches.

Nose cone on the water after the launch in February