SpaceX Successfully Launches, Lands Recycled Falcon 9 Rocket
March 30th, 2017Via: NBC:
SpaceX successfully launched and landed a recycled rocket on Thursday, a first for Elon Musk’s company and a move that could help slash the cost of cargo transport into space.
It was a one-two punch that went according to plan. After lifting off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carrying an SES-10 communications satellite into space, the rocket booster separated and barreled toward Earth, slowing down and sticking a landing on a drone ship parked at sea.
“It’s an amazing day I think for space as a whole,” Musk said after the landing. “Something can be done that many people said was impossible.”
The launch was particularly special since achieving rocket reusability is a development that is expected to usher in a new era of launches at a reduced price.
Musk, who said this day was 15 years in the making, compared using a rocket once to throwing away an airplane after one flight.
