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Credit & Copyright: SpaceX
Explanation:
The booster has landed.
Spaceflight took a
step toward the less expensive last week when the first stage of a
Falcon 9 rocket
set down on a landing pad not far from its
Florida
launch.
Previously, most rocket stages remained unrecovered -- with the significant exception
of the
Space Shuttles landing on a runway and their solid
rocket boosters being
fished
back from the sea.
The landing occurred while the
Falcon 9 second stage continued
up to launch several
communications satellites
into low Earth orbit.
The controlled landing, produced by
SpaceX,
was the first of its kind, but followed a
booster landing last month
by
Blue Origin
that did not involve launching satellites.
Boeing and
SpaceX were
selected last year by
NASA to launch
future
astronauts to the
International Space Station.
The
pictured rocket booster
will be analyzed for
wear and reusability, but then is
scheduled to be
retired.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: rocket - landing
Publications with words: rocket - landing
See also: