SpaceX took a group of reporters and photographers just offshore the Falcon 9 rocket’s landing point Tuesday, a day after the 15-story booster made a pinpoint touchdown after helping send 11 communications satellites into orbit.
The NASA manager overseeing development of Boeing and SpaceX’s commercial crew ferry ships says the space agency has approved SpaceX’s proposal to strap in astronauts atop Falcon 9 rockets, then fuel the launchers in the final hour of the countdown as the company does for its uncrewed missions.
The mission carried 70 payloads to low Earth orbit, including three orbital transfer vehicles and re-entry capsules. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened on Monday, June 23, at 2:25 p.m. PDT (5:25 p.m. EDT, 2125 UTC).