A few weeks ago on December 21, 2015, SpaceX successfully launched one of their Falcon 9 rockets, delivered 11 satellites into orbit, and landed the rocket back on Earth, undamaged and ready to be used again. It marks the first time that a rocket has been sent into low Earth orbit 100 miles above Earth and successfully captured upon re-entry to be used again. Traditionally, rockets have been single-use equipment that crash land into the ocean. The ability to capture and reuse rockets is a great step forward in driving down the cost of space exploration by promoting re-usability.
Here is a picture posted to Twitter by SpaceX showing the launch and landing…only a few miles apart:
Earlier this week on January 12, 2016, SpaceX posted a great recap video to YouTube:
Well done SpaceX! Keep up the great work! Good luck on your next launch this coming Sunday!
