WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US aerospace manufacturer SpaceX has renounced the idea of upgrading the second stage of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle for its reusability, Elon Musk, SpaceX co-owner and CEO, said on the night into November 18.
“Btw [by the way], SpaceX is no longer planning to upgrade Falcon 9 second stage for reusability. Accelerating BFR [Big Falcon Rocket] instead. New design is very exciting! Delightfully counter-intuitive,” Musk posted on Twitter.
In his reply to a Twitter user, Musk specified that “radical” changes had been introduced to the BFR design.
While the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket has already been reused, Musk announced in April he plans to make its second stage reusable as well in order to make space flights more affordable via decreasing the launch price.
The BFR reusable launch vehicle and spacecraft system is currently being developed by the SpaceX and is set to be a part of a lunar mission scheduled for 2023.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
