SpaceX boat tries to catch pricey rocket nosecone in the Pacific Ocean, but misses

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After SpaceX successfully blasted three satellites into space early Thursday morning, the company tried to catch the Falcon 9 rocket’s expensive nosecone, also known as a fairing, on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. The vessel, named “Mr. Steven,” was outfitted with a giant net.

According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the boat missed catching the fairing by “a few hundred meters,” but he thinks there’s a simple fix: Bigger parachutes to better control the parachuting fairing.

Missed by a few hundred meters, but fairing landed intact in water. Should be able catch it with slightly bigger chutes to slow down descent.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018 Read more…

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