SpaceX catches both fairing halves for first time after a launch

SpaceX scored another first yesterday as the space flight company managed to catch both halves of the fairing used for the launch of the ANASIS-II mission. Up until now, SpaceX only managed to catch one of both halves. It's a new step towards making rockets as reusable as possible.

Over the last couple of years, SpaceX wrote history as the company managed to perfect landings of first stage boosters. It's easy to forget that as little as a decade ago, this feat was still regarded as pure fiction by some rocket experts. Including yesterday's launch, SpaceX has now performed 57 landings of spent first stages.

The fairing halves don’t have any propellant systems to control their landing like the Falcon 9 first stages do – instead, they’re slowed via parachutes, meaning there’s a bigger reliance on the ships to actually be positioned correctly to anticipate their fall, since it’s not specifically programmed. But there’s another big reason Musk and SpaceX want to get this aspect of the launch system right: Musk has said previously that he’d potentially consider adapting the fairing catching ships to also catch Crew Dragon capsules as they return to Earth, reducing risk for astronauts and recovery crews who currently have to collect them from the Ocean.

While the first stage of the Falcon 9 is the most valuable part, the fairing halves also have tremendous value. SpaceX estimates it can reduce its launch costs by $6 million per launch if it can recover and reuse the fairings. Catching them via nets installed on ships is the preferred option. Recovery after a crash landing in the ocean is also possible, but this increases maintenance and repair costs. More details at TechCrunch.

Both fairing halves caught from space by @SpaceX ships!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2020