CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX's fourth recovered rocket is back at Cape Canaveral, Florida, leaning to one side but still standing tall on its ocean platform.
The first-stage booster pushed the limits last Friday. Its landing speed was close to the design maximum for the rocket and the support system for its legs. Although the rocket was in danger of tipping over, it remained upright as it pulled into Port Canaveral.
SpaceX is working to recycle its rockets. Chief executive Elon Musk says the booster represents 70 percent of the cost of a Falcon rocket, on the order of $30 million to $35 million. So it makes sense, he says, to reuse the pieces. In fact, he says it's "tragic" to discard them after a satellite delivery, as has been the case throughout history.
