The Falcon 9 rocket that launched NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on SpaceX’s first crew mission in 2020 made its 19th and final liftoff and landing just before Christmas at Cape Canaveral, Florida. On the way back, he fell on a recovery boat.
This particular booster, known by its tail number B1058, was special among SpaceX’s family of reusable rockets. This was the leader of the fleet, and over three and a half years he recorded 19 missions. More importantly, the rocket blasted off into space on May 30, 2020, making history in several ways.
It was the first time a commercial rocket and spacecraft had sent humans into orbit, ending a nine-year gap in the ability to send astronauts into orbit from U.S. soil after the Space Shuttle retired. . The mission, known as Demo-2, was launched by SpaceX under contract with NASA and ended America’s reliance on Russian rockets to send crews to the International Space Station.
After the historic launch in May 2020, SpaceX recovered the booster on one of its offshore landing platforms, while the Falcon 9 upper stage was launched into orbit along with the Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying Hurley and Behnken. The rocket then entered SpaceX’s fleet rotation and was launched 18 more times, primarily on missions to deploy Starlink internet satellites.
Hurley, who commanded the Crew Dragon spacecraft during the Demo-2 mission, continued to follow Booster’s exploits upon its return to Earth. He exchanged regular text messages with Behnken and SpaceX’s vice president of launch, Kiko Donchev, as the rocket continued to fly.
“That booster has always been special to Bob and me for a variety of reasons,” said Hurley, a veteran Marine Corps fighter pilot who retired from NASA’s astronaut corps in 2021. He currently works for Northrop Grumman.
ominous ending
Mr. Hurley told Mr. Ars that he would like to see the remains of the booster displayed in a museum alongside the Crew Dragon spacecraft that flew with Mr. Behnken in 2020. “That booster is in the Smithsonian or some museum,” he said.
“It’s a little disappointing,” Hurley told Ars. However, I understand that SpaceX made great use of this rocket. SpaceX also has a lot of love for Hurley and Behnken. The company named its two recovery vessels after payload fairings. “Bob” and “Doug” are named after the astronaut duo.
“SpaceX has a business to run. Endeavor will certainly fly more at this point, but this booster won’t, so I hope they can find a place to display it somewhere.” said. Even partially, it looks cool somehow. They might be able to figure something out…I think people can get a lot of inspiration from actually seeing objects flying through space, and being able to get up close to it. I think being able to do that is a big thing for a lot of people. “
![Doug Hurley (right) commanded the Crew Dragon spacecraft during the 2020 Demo-2 mission.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/49720926816_6f4efdbae1_k-640x480.jpg)
NASA
The booster’s 19th launch on December 23 was as successful as its 18th previous, with a smooth ascent into space before shutting down its nine kerosene-fueled Merlin engines. The booster coasted to its highest point in orbit, 72 miles (116 kilometers), then was pulled back into the atmosphere by Earth’s gravity.
Two engine burns slowed the rocket as it descended toward a SpaceX drone ship near the Bahamas, and its four carbon fiber legs deployed just before it touched down. Then, as usual, the recovery vessel began its slow journey back to Florida with her 15-story booster upright.