An old SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has been donated to the Space Center Huston facility, the official visitor’s core for Johnson Space Center. The rocket which launched a Dragon spacecraft into orbit in 2017, a few days before Christmas it will be transferred to the Huston museum, probably sometime this summer.
The first stage of the Falcon 9 which lifted off the Dragon capsule has then conducted a number of engine burns and successfully landed on the Florida nearshore, and its main pieces have been stored since then.
This rocket has done its job and will never launch to space again, therefore, William Harris, the president, and chief executive of Space Center Huston came up with the idea of exposing the rocket at the Huston facility so it will inspire young people to think of a career in space exploration.
The rocket would enable the museum to teach visitors about the current stage of space exploration in comparison to the past expeditions, and also it would allow SpaceX to show the world its dreams and visions for the future space missions using recyclable boosters.
Old SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Donated to Space Center Huston
The company was more than happy to donate the first stage booster that touched the space two times: on the 11th and 13th equipment missions to the International Space Station.
The rocket is also the first SpaceX’s booster that NASA decided to use for the second time. Space Center Huston wants to move the booster in its building sometime this summer, and quickly display it near the access entry of the museum. At the moment, there is a displayed Falcon 9 rocket which was already used in the only place in the world: at SpaceX headquarters, in front of the facility.
Harris said that SpaceX does a great job of commercializing their launches with their broadcasts, adding that he feels confident in the fact that people will want to visit their facility to observe one of SpaceX’s rockets in person.
