SpaceX conducts historic launch, landing with "used" rocket

Source: Xinhua| 2017-03-31 07:06:46|Editor: An

The photo made available by U.S. space firm SpaceX on March 30, 2017 shows the company's Falcon 9 rocket launches at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United States. U.S. space firm SpaceX is attempting to make history on Thursday with the first launch of an already-used Falcon 9 rocket into space. (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space firm SpaceX made history on Thursday as it launched an already-used Falcon 9 rocket back into space for the first time and then landed its first stage on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

The two-stage rocket, carrying a communications satellite into orbit for Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, blasted off at 6:27 p.m. EDT (22:27 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida..

About 10 minutes later, the first stage achieved a successful landing on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship that was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Falcon 9 first stage has landed on Of Course I Still Love You - world's first reflight of an orbital class rocket," the company tweeted.

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