Rocket landings never get old, as a new video shows.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft toward the International Space Station on Sunday (Aug. 4). The rocket’s first stage then returned to Earth for a safe landing, which a 37-second video captures in great detail, both visually and audibly.
“Footage tracking Falcon 9 first stage landing and sonic boom,” SpaceX wrote in the video description it posted. Posted on X Monday (August 5).
Sonic booms are a common occurrence during the re-entry of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket into the atmosphere. The sound comes as the boosters decelerate, crossing the sound barrier in a high-to-low speed direction.
Sunday’s mission was the 10th for this Falcon 9 first stage, According to SpaceXThat’s an impressive number, but it’s far from the company’s record of 22. In total, SpaceX has landed more than 300 times on Falcon 9 missions.
The Cygnus spacecraft carried more than 4 tons of food, scientific experiments and other supplies to the International Space Station on its current mission, called NG-21. (It is the 21st flight of the Cygnus orbiting laboratory.)
Unlike SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket or Dragon capsule, the Cygnus spacecraft is designed for one-time use. It will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after leaving the International Space Station in January 2025.
