SpaceX has successfully launched and landed the second Falcon 9 rocket in roughly 48 hours — giving SpaceX two wins in its “weekend doubleheader.” The nearly back-to-back launches are a show of strength for the company that has said it intends to up the pace of its launches.
The rocket took off today from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base at 4:25 PM ET, and delivered 10 satellites into orbit for the communications company Iridium. It’s the company’s ninth launch of 2017, and, six months in, are the most completed by SpaceX in a single year.
The rocket’s 230-foot-tall first stage, which houses nine engines, then touched down on the drone ship called “Just Read the Instructions” floating in the Pacific Ocean. Musk warned earlier in the day that the landing might be tricky, and weather conditions were described as borderline.
Launch at 1:25 delivering 10 satellites for Iridium. Droneship repositioned due to extreme weather. Will be tight. https://t.co/6ZcSG29B74
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2017
Nevertheless, the rocket stuck the landing — marking SpaceX’s lucky 13th successful landing overall, and its eighth at sea. In fact, SpaceX hasn’t lost a rocket during an attempted landing since early last summer — today’s leaves their landing streak still going strong with nine successes.