SpaceX’s Lack of Gravity drone has successfully completed its first mission: why is Elon Musk’s company using these platforms

SpaceX’s newest floating drone, A Shortfall of Gravitas, arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida this week after it caught its first Falcon 9 stage.

The launch vehicle, dubbed B1061, had been launched just two days earlier and delivered the Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station with 2,177 kg of research and crew material. This floating drone is the latest in SpaceX’s trio of drones, which are designed to be used as floating landing platforms for the company’s rockets.

Prior to this, SpaceX used a platform called “Just Read the Instructions” for launches on the East Coast, while a drone called “Of Course I Still Love You” which has landed the most rockets, works on the West Coast.

The B1061 booster, which has already been launched four times, was severely scorched and covered in soot after several flights to and from space. To date, three different Dragon spacecraft have been installed on the rocket. It is the first launch vehicle to land on all three SpaceX unmanned spacecraft.

In recent years, SpaceX has increased its launch frequency. Thus, there is a need for more floating ships. More fuel is required to return to the launch pad, so this is not always possible, especially if the Falcon 9 is carrying a huge payload. Therefore, the company relies on its drones, which are mobile and can arrive wherever needed to catch a rocket with little fuel.

The founder and CEO of the company, Elon Musk, first spoke about the idea of ​​a third unmanned spacecraft back in 2018. Built in Fourchon, Louisiana, the ship features a new design and some improvements over the two older ships. One of the major improvements is that A Shortfall of Gravitas is completely autonomous. This means that the drone can independently move to and from the return zone of the rocket.