SpaceX successfully completes two Falcon 9 landings in one weekend
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...