Photos: Falcon takes flight

Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from New Zealand at 9:20 p.m. EST Thursday (0220 GMT Friday) carrying 30 small payloads into low Earth orbit. The company said the first stage of the Electron rocket splashed down in the Pacific Ocean under a parachute, a major step in Rocket Lab’s rocket reuse program.

The rescheduled test came a day after a launch day rehearsal with the Crew-11 astronauts and cosmonaut in the loop, referred to as a dry dress rehearsal. The Crew-11 launch is currently scheduled for Thursday, July 31 at 12:09 p.m. EDT (1609 UTC).

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a launch license for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket set for blastoff Tuesday, giving the U.S. government’s regulatory green light for the heavy-lifter to dispatch Elon Musk’s used electric car on a one-way trip into deep space.