SpaceX Creates History by Landing the Falcon 9 Rocket Successfully!

“SpaceX believes a fully and rapidly reusable rocket is the pivotal breakthrough needed to substantially reduce the cost of space access”, the company says on its website.

Blue Origin, which is headed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, achieved a safe rocket landing after a launch on November 24 – but SpaceX employees were quick to remind viewers during a livestream Monday that this was a more hard feat.

SpaceX’s rocket deployed 11 satellites for telecommunications company ORBCOMM of Fort Lee, N.J. after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Last night, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of Orbcomm communications satellites. But now SpaceX founder Elon Musk has found a potential way to reuse rockets and cut down on the costs that limit space exploration.

The 15-story first stage of rocket – used to propel the payload to 62 miles or so until the second stage takes over – successfully landed on Earth again at a prepared landing zone. If everything checks out, future launches by SpaceX could be the ones that kick off the reusable rocket revolution.

The launch and landing also marked the first time any company has landed an orbital rocket segment back on Earth following a launch to space.

“The Falcon 9 rocket we are about to launch has higher performance than the prior version due mostly to increased boost thrust, deep cryo oxidizer and a much larger upper stage engine bell”. Those rockets require much more power, and are more hard to land safely based partly on their greater size.

Then came SpaceX’s June attempt to execute a mid-sea landing, which ended in an explosion. “I think we’ll probably keep this one on the ground, just [because] it’s kind of unique, it’s the first one we’ve brought back”, he said.

When everything then looked like a go Sunday, Musk tweeted that he had made a decision to wait one day when the conditions for landing the rocket looked 10 percent better.