Image of used Falcon 9 booster in the SpaceX hangar, released on Jan. 3. (credit: SpaceX)
The Falcon 9 rocket not only survived, it now appears increasingly clear it did so in good shape. On Sunday SpaceX released a new photo of the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket that it successfully landed two weeks ago. Aside from soot, produced by the rocket's engines, the Falcon 9 booster appears to be structurally intact.
That was the assessment of SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who tweeted, "No damage found, ready to fire again," on New Year's Eve. Musk has said the flown booster will undergo "static fire" testing on the launch pad, in which the rocket is restrained while its engines are fired. After testing the rocket is expected to become a valued artifact, although Musk has not said where its final resting place will be.
During a conference call with reporters after the launch and successful recovery of the Falcon 9 rocket on December 21, Musk said he expects the company will attempt to refly a Falcon 9 rocket sometime in 2016.
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