SpaceX’s aim is to reduce the cost of going into space and reusing components plays a major role in making that happen. The company has successfully demonstrated multiple times that it can land rocket boosters and even send them up to space for the second time. It has landed these boosters on both land and at sea. It now wants to reuse the rocket fairing which it’s going to capture with a net boat called “Mr. Steven.”
For those who are unaware, a rocket fairing is the shell you see at the top of the rocket which protects the cargo that’s being launched. It serves a simple purpose but it’s not exactly cheap. A single fairing costs $6 million so reusing it multiple times will significantly reduce the cost of each launch for the company and subsequently for its clients.
SpaceX has previously recovered a nose cone last year during a launch but it will now attempt to capture the fairing using the net boat called Mr. Steven. It’s basically a platform ship that can be navigated with a net in between its extended “arms.”
It will be out at sea during SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 mission to try and capture the rocket fairing. The company will attempt to bring the fairing back to Earth gently using geotagged parachutes that will guide it down to the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX’s next launch is scheduled for tomorrow.