SpaceX Falcon 9 would be using its last expendable rocket on its next launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, scheduled on Monday, Jan. 30. CEO Elon Musk revealed there would be no landing attempt in the expendable rocket. After the launch, the company would be using the upgraded Falcon 9.
It is the first time that SpaceX would not try a landing since its first landing attempt in December 2015. The company has succeeded 7 out of 10 landing attempts including its last lift-off on Jan. 14. The upcoming mission would bring a communication satellite, EchoStar 23, into super high orbit. SpaceX had to forgo the landing attempt due to the altitude and the weight of the satellite.
According to The Verge, SpaceX Falcon 9 will follow an very elliptical path which is about more than 22,000 miles above the Earth's surface. The speed needed for this distance would require a lot of propellant. The EchoStar 23 is also very heavy (about 12,000 pounds) so there might not be enough propellant left to use for a landing.
SpaceX will stop using expendable rockets after the launch. "Future flights will go on Falcon Heavy or the upgraded Falcon 9," Musk said in his Twitter account according to Ars. "Falcon 9 Block 5 -- the final version in the series -- is the one that has the most performance and is designed for easy reuse," he said. He added that the Block 5 would have its inaugural launch by the end of this year.
The upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 will have more thrust capabilities and better legs for easier landings. This would make it possible to attempt landings even for difficult missions similar to EchoStar 26. On the other hand, succeeding missions after EchoStar 26 will use slightly upgraded versions of SpaceX Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy.
