SpaceX JCSAT-14 Booster back at LC-39A in the Horizontal Integration Facility.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX JCSAT-14 Mission Patch

05/14/2016

 Yesterday at around 11:00 AM ET (15:00 UTC) SpaceX moved their JCSAT-14 Falcon 9 Booster F9-0024-S1 to the horizontal integration facility at Kennedy's LC-39A to join the 2 other successfully landed Falcon 9 Boosters. Where the statement " One by land, Two if by Sea" rings true. SpaceX has made history by landing their first stage booster after delivering 2 satellites and a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. The first successful landing came December 21, 2015 20:29 ET (01:29 UTC) at the newly finished SpaceX Landing Zone 1 or LZ-1 formerly known as SLC-13 with the Orbcomm OG2-M2 Falcon 9 Booster F9-0020-S1. The First successful Falcon 9 Booster landing and the first Terra Firma landing. This is also where in 1958 they launched and tested the Convair/General Dynamics Atlas B, D, E and F missiles from this complex. As well as from 1962 - 1978 NASA launched the Atlas Agena Rockets for the Gemini Program as well as Lunar Orbiter - 1 which mapped landing sites for the Apollo Missions.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX Orbcomm OG2 M2 Mission Patch

The 2nd landing came on April 8, 2016, 4:43 PM EST (20:43 UTC) with CRS-8 Falcon 9 Booster F9-0023-S1 with the Return to Flight of the Dragon on the NASA Commercial Cargo launch to the ISS of the Falcon 9 v1.2 FT. The Dragon Spacecraft came home at 2:54 PM ET (11:54 AM PT), it parachuted into the waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California, carrying around 3,700 pounds (1,700 kg) of hardware and experiment samples. Of the samples were the Biological samples from Astronaut Scott Kelly taken during his year in space Mission to further the study of Astronauts and the long term effects on their bodies in preparation for the upcoming and planned Deep Space Missions NASA is working on.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX CRS-8 Mission Patch

 Elon Musk Tweeted today that the JCSAT-14 Booster took the Maximum damage allowed for a landing. Would love to see the data on this. Still a truly remarkable feat done by SpaceX and the entire launch team!

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX CRS-8 Dragon Spacecraft Splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

(Photo Credit: SpaceX) Above: SpaceX JCSAT-14 taken from SpaceX live feed.

(Photo Credit: Michael McCabe/ SSIR ) Above: SpaceX JCSAT-14 Booster F9-0024-S1 on the ASDS first photo. The remaining photo's of the booster as she was lifted from the ASDS and placed on the cradle adjacent to the ASDS. If you study the pictures you can see some of the damage done and the melting of the paint and evidence of the extreme stress that she went through on reentry.