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VideoWhat’s next for SpaceX’s recovered Falcon 9 booster?
SpaceX ground crews at Kennedy Space Center's Apollo-era launch complex 39A are putting the 156-foot-tall Falcon 9 first stage booster that flew to space and back Dec. 21 through a thorough inspection, setting the stage for a hold-down test firing at the launch pad.
SpaceX rocket landing applauded, but experts say implications TBD
The successful launch and landing by the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Monday was a significant step toward achieving reusability and, eventually, lowering launch costs, but turning that success into operational reality poses a significant challenge for company founder Elon Musk.
Photos: Falcon 9 booster stands upright after landing
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.
Round-trip rocket flight gives SpaceX a trifecta of successes
Flying through the sky at supersonic speed, a Falcon 9 rocket stage descended to a historic landing at Cape Canaveral on Monday, returning to the spaceport minutes after boosting 11 Orbcomm communications satellites toward orbit on SpaceX’s first mission since a major failure in June.
Q&A with Elon Musk after SpaceX’s first rocket landing
SpaceX's billionaire founder and chief executive Elon Musk spoke with reporters just after successfully landing a Falcon 9 booster for the first time.
VideoFrom all angles: Up and down with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster
Relive the experience with imagery from Monday night's blazing blastoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and its historic, dramatic landing at Cape Canaveral.
Watch SpaceX recover booster: “The Falcon has landed”
Watch as SpaceX successfully returns the first stage of its Falcon 9 booster to a landing at Cape Canaveral just minutes after it blasted off.
Falcon 9 launch timeline with Orbcomm satellites
Track the progress of the launch and landing of SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket carrying 11 Orbcomm message relay satellites with this timeline of major events in the flight sequence.
Falcon 9’s return-to-flight launch delayed 24 hours
SpaceX called off a try Sunday to launch a package of Orbcomm communications satellites from Cape Canaveral, eyeing a better chance to land the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster Monday, according to Elon Musk, the company's billionaire founder.
Patience a key ingredient in Orbcomm’s new satellite fleet
Nearly a decade after Orbcomm raised the money to pay for a second-generation satellite fleet to drastically expand the company's reach, the $230 million program is finally primed for completion after Monday's launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.