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We really should be used to this by now, but it's just too cool. 。
SpaceX has landed its fifth Falcon 9 rocket booster back on land after launching a spacecraft to orbit for NASA. In doing so, it became the first private company to launch the same cargo capsule into orbit more than once. 。
The landing -- which took place at Cape Canaveral -- came about 10 minutes after the Elon Musk-founded spaceflight company launched a previously used Dragon spacecraft toward the International Space Station at 5:07 p.m. ET. 。
SEE ALSO:Watch SpaceX try to make history live 。The Dragon capsule is a refurbished spacecraft that first launched to the Space Station in 2014. Since it came back to Earth, SpaceX has been getting it ready for this next flight. 。
The Dragon is now joining a special club of spacecraft that have been to orbit multiple times. 。
Via Giphy 。
"NASA’s space shuttle orbiters, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B, and the Soviet Union’s VA spacecraft were all reused on orbital missions," Robert Pearlman, space historian and founder of collectspace.com, said.
"The first orbital-class spacecraft to be reused, however, was a NASA Gemini capsule that was launched on two suborbital flights (the second flight in 1966 was a test for the U.S. Air Force’s planned Manned Orbiting Laboratory program)." 。
The Dragon -- which is loaded down with food, experiments, and other supplies -- is expected to arrive at the Space Station on June 5. 。
The spectacular evening launch and landing are yet further evidence that SpaceX is attempting to make good on its promise of ushering in a new era of space exploration, one focused on lowering the cost of spaceflight through reusability. 。Via Giphy 。
Via Giphy。
SpaceX has performed a total of 11 Falcon 9 rocket landings, with some of them landing on drone ships floating out at sea. 。
Other companies are also working toward reusability, but none are as far along. 。
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin is working toward a fleet of different reusable rockets and spacecraft, and United Launch Alliance is also developing a reusable rocket stage. 。
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