edl

art SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster Glide

My rendition of a Falcon 9 booster returning to Earth after a launch. The four grid fins are guiding it towards its landing pad as it hurtles downwards at supersonic velocities.

In this image, the Falcon 9 is at about 40km in altitude (with entry burn shutdown having occured seconds earlier) and is less than thirty seconds from the start of the landing burn.

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SpaceX Dragon 2 Landing SpaceX Dragon 2 Landing Direct link

This is the approximate trajectory of the SpaceX Dragon 2 as it lands on Earth after a trip to the ISS.

SpaceX ITS Mars Lander EDL SpaceX ITS Mars Lander EDL Direct link

This is the approximate trajectory of the SpaceX ITS Mars lander during its approach, entry, descent, and landing phases. SpaceX has not released the Earth reentry trajectory, but it will probably be similar, albeit with lower speeds and a far denser atmosphere (which translates to a far shorter and more vertical glide.)

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Downrange Propulsive Landing (No Boostback) SpaceX Falcon 9 Downrange Propulsive Landing (No Boostback) Direct link

This is the approximate trajectory of the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster during a downrange propulsive landing (i.e. ocean landing) on the ASDS.

Note that this is the trajectory of a booster during a high-performance mission, and does not include a boostback burn. The approximate trajectory of a Falcon 9 landing with a boostback burn can be seen here.

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Return to Launch Site SpaceX Falcon 9 Return to Launch Site Direct link

This is the approximate trajectory of the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster during a “return to launch site” landing (i.e. landing on land).

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Downrange Propulsive Landing SpaceX Falcon 9 Downrange Propulsive Landing Direct link

This is the approximate trajectory of the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster during a downrange propulsive landing (i.e. ocean landing) on the ASDS.

Note that this profile includes a boostback burn; this profile was used during the launch of CRS-8, among others. It’s not used with heavy payloads, such as some of the larger GTO missions; instead, the booster does not perform a boostback burn and ends up much farther downrange, requiring the ASDS to position itself much farther from shore. The approximate trajectory of a Falcon 9 landing without a boostback burn can be seen here.

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SpaceX Red Dragon Landing SpaceX Red Dragon Landing Direct link

This is the approximate trajectory of the SpaceX Red Dragon capsule during its landing on Mars.

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