---
title: "SpaceX’s Flawless Falcon 9 Landing Will Make You Appreciate Rocket Science As Never Before"
description: "SpaceX released footage of their reusable spacecraft landing on a floating barge in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
date: "2016-05-30"
modified: "2016-05-30"
authors:
  - name: "Jolene Creighton"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jolene-creighton"
url: "https://futurism.com/spacexs-flawless-falcon-9-landing-will-make-you-appreciate-rocket-science-as-never-before"
categories:
  - "Falcon"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "falcon 9"
  - "reusable rocket"
  - "SpaceX"
---

# SpaceX’s Flawless Falcon 9 Landing Will Make You Appreciate Rocket Science As Never Before

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/spacex-1.jpg>)
*SpaceX \<em\>Image: SpaceX\</em\>*

A few days ago, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered the THAICOM 8, a commercial communications [satellite for Thaicom](<http://www.thaicom.net/>), to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). GTO is a high elliptical orbit, and when we say “high,” we mean *high.* It is more than 32,000 km (20,000 miles) above the Earth.

And after the lunch? The rocket successfully landed on a floating barge in the middle of the ocean.

SpaceX [released footage](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jEz03Z8azc>) of the landing, which was filmed from on-board the Falcon 9 rocket. As a result, it looks like you're catching a ride back down to Earth along with the booster. See the event in the footage below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jEz03Z8azc

Ultimately, SpaceX (and many others) are getting into the reusable rocket game because, well, it is a lot cheaper.

Where it can take up to $60 million to make the rocket, it costs as little as $200,000 to fuel the Falcon 9. So having a rocket go up to space and *not* get destroyed on the way down would be ideal. But why the barge? Why the ocean? This all comes down to fuel.

It requires a great deal of fuel to land the first stage on the ground by reigniting the engine and reducing the speed from more than 8,000 km/h (5,000 mph) down to zero. A barge in the sea reduces the travel distance back to Earth to perform a landing, as the rocket doesn't have to travel as far.

### Author social links  
[Facebook](<https://www.facebook.com/jolene.creighton>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolenecreighton>)  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/sciencejolene>)