Launch of Final SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 Rocket with Jason 3
- 8 years ago
The very last SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket lifted off today from Space Launch Complex 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, January 17th 2016 at 18:42 UTC. The rocket carried Jason 3 satellite into orbit, Jason 3 is a joint mission between NASA, NOAA, CNES EUMETSAT and will monitor sea surface levels from space.
This was a historic launch for SpaceX, being the final 1.1 version of the Falcon 9 to launch, launching from the exact pad that the very first v1.1 Falcon 9 launched from back in September 2013.
After liftoff, the first stage shut down and separated from the second stage before firing its engines again and attempting a landing on an unmanned barge named 'Just Read the Instructions'. This attempt unfortunately was not successful. The Falcon had to perform a barge landing rather than on land at Vandenberg for environmental reasons for this mission.
This was a historic launch for SpaceX, being the final 1.1 version of the Falcon 9 to launch, launching from the exact pad that the very first v1.1 Falcon 9 launched from back in September 2013.
After liftoff, the first stage shut down and separated from the second stage before firing its engines again and attempting a landing on an unmanned barge named 'Just Read the Instructions'. This attempt unfortunately was not successful. The Falcon had to perform a barge landing rather than on land at Vandenberg for environmental reasons for this mission.