SpaceX is going to try landing a rocket on a floating platform again on Thursday evening and you can tune in to watch a live broadcast of the company’s latest attempt at 6:46 p.m. ET either on YouTube or on SpaceX’s own website. The landing will be part of a launch in which SpaceX deploys some new satellite equipment for broadcast and ISP operations and it is expected to last about 90 minutes in total.
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“SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver SES-9, a commercial communications satellite for SES, to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO),” SpaceX explains. “SES is a world-leading satellite operator that provides satellite-enabled communications services to broadcasters, Internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, and business and governmental organizations worldwide using its fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites.”
SpaceX first successfully landed one of its reusable Falcon 9 rockets late last year, although in that case it was landing on a concrete landing pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Landing on a floating platform is obviously a lot more challenging and I personally wouldn’t expect SpaceX to successfully nail it this time, although I’m obviously hoping it succeeds.
