SpaceX to recover rockets using ‘giant party balloon’
Elon Musk’s ‘crazy’ plan aims to reduce substantial cost of space travel
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has revealed that his company will attempt to recover sections of its rockets using a “giant party balloon”.
Speaking to his 21 million fans on Twitter, Musk said the balloon will be used to slow down the rocket’s upper stage, which propels the payload once in space, when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere after completing its mission.
The second phase of the South African-born billionaire’s “crazy” plan involves this upper stage then landing on a “bouncy house” that will be positioned in the Pacific Ocean, he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to TechGenYZ, the plan has to potential to significantly reduce the “tremendous expenses” of space travel.
The cost of sending a single SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into orbit is around $62m (£43m), Engadget reports. The company currently recovers the main boosters of its rockets, but the upper stage is left to either drift in orbit or crash down to the Earth’s surface.
Using balloons to salvage the upper stage would allow the aerospace firm to re-use the module on future missions.
The balloon idea isn’t the only option on SpaceX’s radar, says Space.com. The company has partnered with Boeing to develop a parachute system that could be used to slow down rocket modules on re-entry.
This system is designed to recover crew modules during future manned missions, the site says. There is no word yet on whether it could be used to recover larger sections of a space craft - such as booster stages.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why are meteorologists worried Trump could ruin their forecasts?
Today's Big Question How a conservative push to dismantle a little-known government agency could lead to big headaches for anyone hoping to get a handle on their local weather
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Such wrongdoing encourages foreign corrupt practices'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Can Japan's new prime minister govern effectively?
In The Spotlight A 'popular gadfly' gets the top job
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's X blinks in standoff with Brazil
Speed Read Brazil may allow X to resume operations in the country, as Musk's company agrees to comply with court demand
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Starliner: What went wrong?
Today's Big Question Boeing spacecraft has had a 'long, difficult road'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Boeing, SpaceX successfully test key rockets
Speed Read Boeing’s Starliner docked at the ISS and SpaceX completed its fourth test launch of its Starship spacecraft
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's most controversial moments
The Explainer The business mogul has a long history in the hot seat
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2023: the year of the AI boom
the explainer This year, generative artificial intelligence bypassed the metaverse and became the next big thing in tech
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's 'frivolous' but precedent-setting free speech fight with Media Matters
Talking Point The lawsuit is just the latest in Musk's ongoing tension with social media watchdogs
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Inside Sam Altman's 'extraordinary firing' from OpenAI
The Explainer AI superstar joins Microsoft after 'philosophical disagreement' with his old board that stunned tech world
By The Week UK Published