spacetoday.net: NASA approves use of reused booster on Dragon cargo mission

NASA approves use of reused booster on Dragon cargo mission

Posted: Sun, Dec 3, 2017, 9:15 AM ET (1415 GMT)
Falcon 9 first stage landing, June 2017 (SpaceX)

NASA said Wednesday it's approved SpaceX's plans to fly a previously flown Falcon 9 on the next Dragon cargo launch. Speaking at a meeting of a NASA Advisory Council committee, agency officials said they completed reviews of the booster, which first flew in June on another Dragon mission, and concluded the reused booster would provide the same performance and reliability as a new one. NASA managers previously indicated they were leaning towards using a reused booster on that mission, scheduled for launch Dec. 8, pending final reviews.