Q&A with Elon Musk after SpaceX’s first rocket landing

Nine Merlin engines on the first stage of SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket briefly fired up on a Cape Canaveral launch pad Wednesday, and the launcher cleared a customary pre-flight checkout in preparation for liftoff early Sunday with a Canadian-owned communications satellite.

The launch has been shrouded in secrecy and is being referred as the “TD7 mission” by SpaceX. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A happened Sunday, Nov. 17, at 5:28 p.m. EST (2228 UTC).

Officials from NASA, research institutions and companies involved in the development and launch of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite briefed reporters in the mission Sunday, the day before its scheduled liftoff from Cape Canaveral.