---
title: "Watch SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Explode While Attempting to Land"
description: "SpaceX’ Falcon 9 rocket explodes while attempting to land."
date: "2016-01-18"
modified: "2016-01-18"
authors:
  - name: "Max Prince"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/max-prince"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/1729/watch-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-explode-while-attempting-to-land"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Elon Musk"
  - "space"
  - "SpaceX"
---

# Watch SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Explode While Attempting to Land

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/spacex_hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

It almost stuck the landing. *Almost.*

SpaceX’s [Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched](<https://www.cbsnews.com/news/satellite-launched-to-monitor-sea-level-global-warming/>) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Los Angeles, at 1:42pm ET Sunday. Its mission: Deliver Jason-3, a NOAA and NASA satellite designed to collect oceanic topography data for marine operations and climate change analysis, into orbit. That part went off without a hitch; the two-stage rocket separated over Africa, deploying Jason-3 without incident. But the Falcon 9’s secondary goal, landing upright on a floating droneship platform, ([again](<https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/01/16/377785786/watch-spacex-booster-crashes-on-barge>)) didn’t go off as well:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAqirNbwEc0

The issue, according to Elon Musk, originated from the rocket's leg mechanism:

https://twitter.com/_/status/688920586391805952

While the botched landing represents a very public (and fiery) mishap, Musk is playing it cool. Why not? After [winning a lucrative NASA contract](<https://fortune.com/2015/11/20/spacex-astronauts-international-space-station/>) last year, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for SpaceX to get its sea legs. In the meantime, you can watch a full replay of the Jason-3 mission webcast [here](<https://www.spacex.com/webcast/>).

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/themaxprince>)