S8 Ep256: PUSHING BOUNDARIES WITH DENSIFIED PROPELLANT AND BARGE LANDINGS Colleague Eric Berger. Following the 2015 launch failure, SpaceX introduced the "Falcon 9 Full Thrust," which utilized densifi

PUSHING BOUNDARIES WITH DENSIFIED PROPELLANT AND BARGE LANDINGS Colleague Eric Berger. Following the 2015 launch failure, SpaceX introduced the "Falcon 9 Full Thrust," which utilized densified propellants—super-chilled liquid oxygen—to increase fuel mass by up to 12% for greater efficiency. This technology required tight launch windows but was essential for the company's reusability goals. Simultaneously, the company attempted to land boosters on an ocean barge, a process described as trying to land "nine Dixie cups" in a storm. These efforts were driven by the need to recover and reuse delicate rocket stages that are easily crushed when not pressurized. NUMBER 4 MARCH 1958