Space X: No Structural Changes, Engine Protection Priority

Space X learned a major lesson from perfecting the technique of multiple booster landing held in the company's rocket development facility in McGregor Texas on July 28. A full duration static engine test was conducted by a team of engineers for the 156-foot-tall Falcon 9 first stage booster.

Space X's VP Hans Koenigsmann stated during the recent CRS-9 launch campaign media briefings at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, that the company has learned a lot from landings. When asked if there are some structural changes made to the booster, he stated, "There are no structural changes first of all and that protecting the engines is of vital importance," Phys.Org reported.

Space X's Falcon 9 first stage of landing attempts was conducted with four landing legs at the base and four grid fins at the top, which according to Koenigsmann seems to work fine. Moving to the separation of the second stage, the rocket slows down for a soft landing via supersonic retropulsion. This is a result of the first stage's engine reignition to reverse and boost back burn back to the landing site.

There were also difficulties like when Merlin 1D first stage engines sustained heavy damage due to high entry velocity. However, as stated by Space X chief executive Elon Musk in his tweets, this became a determiner for engineers to better calculate the longevity of the booster and its components.

On the other hand, Musk envisions to reuse the rocket to cut cost for an expedition to Mars possibly in 2018, Spaceflight Now reported. In connection to this, the company needs to prove that the Space X engines can endure the harsh spaceflight environment, which the July 28 engine test demonstrated.

Space X's series of tests were successful. It ensured that the engines were protected to result in successful deploying and safe landing.