Dazzling Display of Rocket Recycling as Landed SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Sails into Port Canaveral after 1st Private Crew Dragon Test Flight: Photos

Mid-air view of recovered/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch going airborne again at 125 PM ET, March 5, 2019 over mock Crew Dragon capsule after craning off the OCISLY drone ship to platform on land at Port Canaveral, FL - 3 days after liftoff from Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Ken Kremer -- SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM – 6 March 2019

PORT CANAVERAL/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  SpaceX demonstrated a dazzling display of rocket recycling and commercial spaceflight as their first Falcon 9 booster to launch their private Crew Dragon spacecraft on a test flight for NASA to the International Space Station and make a precision landing on a drone ship at sea, sailed triumphantly into Port Canaveral early Tuesday morning, March 5.

The Falcon 9 first stage booster (model B1051) from the Demo-1 Crew Dragon mission launch was towed into Port Canaveral standing proudly upright atop the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship (OCISLY) upon which it soft landed at sea about 9.5 minutes after liftoff and some 400 mi (640 km) off Florida’s east coast in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Enjoy our Space UpClose eyewitness galley of imagery as I witnessed the booster return at Jetty Park Pier and Cape Canaveral Beach.  Click back as the gallery grows. 

Be sure to check our earlier launch and launch pad galleries as well. 

Recovered/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch sails dramatically into Port Canaveral, FL under dismal skies on March 5, 2019 - 3 days after overnight liftoff from Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on March 2.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

The Falcon 9 outfitted with four landing legs and four grid fins successfully soft landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship (OCISLY) drone ship at sea in the Atlantic Ocean about 9.5 minutes after liftoff on March 2 from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The 15 story tall upright standing booster put on a delightful sea return show despite gloomy skies that was enjoyed by a variety of veteran and first time spectators.

This scorched and sooty booster arrival was the second one in less than two weeks following the booster that returned from the PSN 6/Beresheet launch last week.

OCISLY entered the mouth of Port Canaveral Channel around 8 a.m. EST towed by a tugboat and accompanied by several support vessels after giving priority to other vessels and cruise ships and to minimize any potential hazards.

The booster had been secured to the deck by the robotic device nicknamed ‘octograbber’ - that is driven beneath on rollers soon after touchdown and grabs onto the rockets base with multiple gripper arms.

Octograbber is apparently maneuvered remotely under the rocket and between the 4 landing legs by a team of SpaceX engineers

The port arrival came just over 3 days since launch.

OCISLY and the SpaceX naval fleet sailed down the Port Canaveral channel about a mile to the normal docking location on the north side by a giant crane over the course of about an hour and pushed up to the final berthing location with a pair of tugboats.

Mid-air view of recovered/landed SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from Crew Dragon Demo-1 launch going airborne again at 125 PM ET, March 5, 2019 over mock Crew Dragon capsule after craning off the OCISLY drone ship (at left)  to platform on land at Port Canaveral, FL - 3 days after liftoff from Launch Complex-39A on NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon lifted off on its maiden test flight dubbed Demo-1 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:49 a.m. EST (0749 GMT) Saturday, March 2 from historic Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Water reflection launch view as SpaceX Falcon 9 soars off Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:49 a.m. EST Saturday, March 2, 2019 carrying the company’s first commercially-built and operated Crew Dragon spacecraft to orbit for docking with the International Space Station (ISS) - as seen from VAB roof.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Crew Dragon thus began a six day orbital mission on a ferry flight bound for the International Space Station (ISS) and back.

The Crew Dragon docked a day later at the forward port on the Harmony module node once used by visiting NASA Space shuttles.

Dragon is now on target to undock Friday, March 8 at 2:31 a.m. EST from the docking port enhanced with a new IDA, or International Docking Adapter.

Watch for Ken’s ongoing onsite mission coverage of SpaceX Demo-1 mission at the Kennedy Space Center.

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.

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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Learn more about the upcoming/recent ULA Delta 4 WGS-10, SpaceX Demo-1, Falcon 9 Nusantara Satu launch, USAF GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon 9/CRS-16 launch to ISS,  NASA missions, ULA Atlas & Delta launches, SpySats and more at Ken’s upcoming outreach events at Quality Inn Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL, evenings:

Mar 9/12: “ULA Delta 4 WGS-10 launch, SpaceX Falcon 9 Demo-1 and Nusantara Satu launch, Dragon CRS-16 resupply launch to ISS, SpaceX Falcon GPS 3-01, SpaceX Falcon Heavy & Falcon 9 launches, upcoming SpaceX Falcon 9 USAF GP3 3-01, NRO & USAF Spysats, SLS, Orion, Boeing and SpaceX Commercial crew capsules, OSIRIS-Rex, Juno at Jupiter, InSight Mars lander, Curiosity and Opportunity explore Mars, NH at Pluto, Kuiper Belt and more,” Kennedy Space Center Quality Inn, Titusville, FL, evenings. Photos for sale

Ken’s upcoming talks:

Apr 3: “Exploring Mars; The Search for Life & A Journey in 3-D.”  7 PM, Lawton C Johnson Middle School, Summit, NJ. Open to the public. Details upcoming. Latest results from Mars & Ultima Thule