Weekly - SpaceX achieves 400 rocket landings and more
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SpaceX achieves 400 rocket landings
In 2015, SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon-9 rocket on land—a first for any rocket capable of putting satellites in orbit. It has been nearly ten years since then, and recently, SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket completed its 400th rocket landing after putting 27 Starlink satellites in orbit.
Curiosity finds evidence of ancient open-air lakes on Mars
Recently, the Curiosity rover found ripple-like formations on the shores of some ancient dried-up rivers on Mars. Previously scientists believed that all ancient Martian lakes were covered with a blanket of ice, but this discovery shows that there were warm, liquid, open-air lakes on Mars.
Chinese rocket booster falls dangerously close to house
China has recently been conducting numerous launches from its Xichang spaceport, which, unlike most launch sites worldwide located near coasts for safety, is situated inland. As a result, there have been several close calls with rocket boosters falling back to the ground near civilian areas. This was the case for the Long March 3B rocket launched on Jan. 23, whose booster narrowly missed a populated area nearby and exploded.
