US: Adding another milestone to its drive to bring down flight cost, SpaceX launched its first recycled cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS). After a two-day delay caused by thunderstorms, the unmanned Falcon rocket blasted off on Saturday, carrying a Dragon capsule that made a station delivery nearly three years ago.
This is the first time after NASA’s now-retired shuttles, when an aircraft reached the orbiting lab and returned. After the launch, the aircraft returned to Cape Canaveral following liftoff for a successful vertical touchdown.
“The Falcon has landed,” SpaceX Mission Control declared from company headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
After this success, SpaceX is planning to launch the booster again, instead of junking it in the ocean as so many other rocket makers do. Just two months ago, SpaceX launched its first recycled booster on a satellite mission. Another flight featuring a reused booster is coming up later this month.
This Dragon capsule, meanwhile, came back for take two following a few modifications and much testing. Shortly before liftoff, a SpaceX vice president, Hans Koenigsmann, called the Dragon reflight “a pretty big deal.”
Falcon 9 first stage has landed at LZ-1. pic.twitter.com/qUANJo402a
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 3, 2017
SpaceX chief Elon Musk tweeted early Sunday morning: “It’s starting to feel kinda normal to reuse rockets. Good. That’s how it is for cars & airplanes and how it should be for rockets.”
