Fiery Re-entry of SpaceX Falcon Heavy Fairing into Earth’s Atmosphere (Video)
SpaceX Falcon Heavy has become the talk of the town in the aerospace industry ever since its first successful launch in 2018. This time, the talk is all about its fairing, which has undergone a ‘fiery re-entry’ into Earth’s atmosphere. The company recently shared a video of this phenomenon that has left many in awe.
The Journey and Deployment of Falcon Heavy Fairing
Before diving into the actual fiery re-entry of the Falcon Heavy fairing, let’s take a look at its journey. The Falcon Heavy fairing is a composite structure that protects payloads during the launch. It measures 43 feet long and 17 feet wide. A Falcon Heavy is equipped with two fairings, and each weighs approximately 2,200 kg.
On 5th February 2021, Falcon Heavy launched a communication satellite named Arabsat-6A from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The fairing was launched along with the satellite and successfully separated from the rocket almost three minutes after the takeoff.
The ‘Fiery Re-entry’ of the Fairing
The video shared by SpaceX on 12th April 2021 depicts the event that took place almost 2.5 months ago. In the black and white video captured by the fairing’s onboard camera, we see glimpses of the Earth’s curvature, the starry sky, the sun, and the moon.
At around 14:00 minutes into the video, we see the fairing being engulfed in flames as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. It is a mesmerizing sight, and the sound of the atmosphere is audible in the background. After re-entry, the fairing experiences a lot of turbulence, which is evident in the video. In the end, we see the fairing floating down towards the ocean.
The Importance of Reusing Falcon Heavy Fairing
SpaceX is known for its efforts to reuse the rocket’s fairing, which is a costly component of the launch vehicle. The Falcon Heavy fairing costs approximately $6 million, and the company aims to bring down this cost by reusing them. By recovering the fairing, the company can reduce the launch cost and increase the frequency of launches, making space exploration accessible.
Summary
SpaceX Falcon Heavy’s fairing has undergone a ‘fiery re-entry’ into Earth’s atmosphere that the company recently shared in a video. The fairing measures 43 feet long and 17 feet wide and weighs approximately 2,200 kg. After launching a communication satellite named Arabsat-6A, the fairing re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, and the video captures the mesmerizing event. The company aims to reuse its fairing to reduce the launch cost and make space exploration more accessible.
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