The application of cryogenic technology in space exploration is nothing new, but on December 21, 2015, SpaceX — the private space-going entity founded by billionaire Elon Musk, of PayPal and Tesla — managed a big first in successfully launching and vertically landing an orbital rocket.
This marked the 20th launch for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The prior launch was in June 2015, and the Falcon 9 and its payload of supplies for the International Space Station disintegrated about two minutes after its launch. On this mission, the Falcon 9 carried 11 satellites into low-Earth orbit for New Jersey-based communications company Orbcomm.
According to Musk in a tweet, one of the key differences between the failure of the 19th launch and the success of the 20th was in the temperature of the liquid oxygen (LOX) used in the engines. He noted the temperature was, “-340 F in this case. Deep cryo increases density and amplifies rocket performance. First time anyone has gone this low for oxygen.”
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