A two-stage Falcon 9 booster with a pre-flown first stage successfully launched the EchoStar 105/SES-11 communications satellite to orbit today (Oct. 11), marking the third time SpaceX has pulled off such a used-rocket feat.
The Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:53 p.m. EDT (2253 GMT) from historic Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 8.5 minutes later, the first stage came back to Earth for a pinpoint landing on the robotic SpaceX ship named “Of Course I Still Love You,” which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the second successful mission in three days for SpaceX – Space.com
Watch the Booster Landing Below!
Featured image of First stage of a Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket on the autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) Of Course I Still Love You By SpaceX Photos (CRS-8) [CC0 or CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
