Astronomers reveal that a SpaceX rocket, which was launched almost seven years ago into space is on the track to reach the Moon at the start of March.
The Falcon 9 booster has been floating around in a somewhat chaotic orbit ever since Elon Musk’s company launched its first deep-space mission by sending a space weather satellite on a million-mile trek in 2015.
After completing a long burn to reach a transfer orbit, the rocket’s second stage became obsolete as the Deep Space Climate Observatory began its journey to a Sun-Earth LaGrange point.
Although the launch vehicle was sufficiently high that it could not return to Earth’s atmosphere with enough fuel, it also did not have the energy necessary to escape gravity.
Experts now believe that the orbit of the spent rocket is set to cross the lunar surface on March 4.
Astronomers reveal that the SpaceX rocket which launched almost seven-years ago into space is currently on course to touch the Moon at the start of March.
Elon Musk’s first deep-space mission sent a weather satellite and a Falcon 9 second stage on its way to a one-million-mile journey in 2015. Since then, the Falcon 9 has floated around in a chaotic orbit.
Earlier this month Bill Gray, who writes the widely used Project Pluto software to track near-Earth objects, asteroids and comets, put out a call for amateur and professional astronomers to make additional observations of the rocket.
Gray is now able to see that Falcon 9’s top stage may collide near the equator with this data. It’s not possible, however, to accurately predict the effects of sun ‘pushing’ on the rocket or slight altering its orbit.
Gray explained that the impact’s unpredictable nature is very low. Gray said that they would accumulate from now to March 4, meaning more observations are needed in order to determine the exact time and place of the impact.
Gray stated that space junk is sometimes a bit tricky. “I’ve a pretty complete mathematical model that shows what the Earth, Moon, Sun, and Planets do and how their gravity affects the object.
“I know how much sun is shining on an object and I can gently push it away from the sunlight. This allows me to predict with confidence.
If it is true, satellites already orbiting around the moon (including NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft) will now be able collect data about the impactcrater.
NASA purposely crashed a used rocket stage onto the moon in 2009 for this exact reason.
It is thought that this will be the first occasion when a piece space hardware accidentally hits the lunar surface.
Experts believe the spent second-stage’s orbit will intersect the moon March 4, according to experts.
The rocket launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in February 2015 as part of a $340 million (£252 million) mission
Interplanetary missions typically send a rocket’s top stage into a heliocentric orbit in order to keep it from the Earth or moon. For launches of near Earth spacecraft it is usually returned to the atmosphere for burning up.
Falcon 9’s second stage is estimated to reach the moon at 5,700 mph (2.58 km/s).
It launched the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in February 2015 as part of a $340 million (£252 million) mission.
DSCOVR replaces an 17-year-old satellite for monitoring potential dangerous solar storms. This can interfere with GPS signals and block radio communications. It also impacts power grids.
The device also features two sensors that monitor Earth for volcanic plumes, ozone, droughts, floods, fires, etc.
SPACEX PLANS FOR FLYING TOURISTS AROUND EARTH: WHAT DO WE KNOW?
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was launched in 2009, five years earlier than originally planned.
SpaceX has announced it will send a tourist to the moon aboard its upcoming Big F***ing Rocket (BFR).
Elon Musk, the CEO, previously stated that BFR will transport cargo ships from Mars in 2022. Manipulated flights are planned for 2024.
Musk’s company could make billions from this project, even though it is ambitious.
However, Musk is known for underestimating the time it will take for his ambitious projects to become reality.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket was launched in February to much fanfare. However, it completed its first flight five years later than expected.
Musk said in July 2017, “It ended up being way more difficult to do Falcon Heavy than what we had thought.”
“Really, it’s way harder than we thought. That was a mistake.
BFR is still undergoing engine tests. These usually last for several months. That’s before SpaceX has to conduct unmanned flight tests long before it can transport passengers safely.
Tourists will not be able to fly on the rocket until the latter half of the 2020s.
SpaceX is not the only space tourist firm that will launch civilians to space, but Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic are also in planning.
The two companies are likely to transport tourists to space in the near future.