Watch SpaceX's Latest Falcon 9 Landing in Crystal Clear 4K
Well, SpaceX, aren't you guys just toying with rockets now. After the successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SpaceX Dragon cargo, the rocket nails another victorious landing on a beachside facility in Cape Canaveral in Florida. This is the 11th time the aerospace company managed to nail a successful rocket landing. However, the big headline was made by the Dragon capsule as it's the first time in history that a private company sent a spacecraft into space orbit for the second time.
The Falcon 9 rocket landing was beautifully captured in this quality aerial video released by SpaceX. According to CEO Elon Musk, the landing was particularly spot on as they coated the bullseye target, in the company's iconic "X" shape, with radio reflective paint to act as an extra guide to the rocket's radar. It is the fifth time SpaceX landed a rocket on solid ground, whilst the rest of the other landings were made at sea.
Yeah, pretty much dead center. We painted the target area with radio reflective paint, which helps the radar be more precise.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2017
The Falcon 9 rocket has a simple two-stage configuration, which minimizes the number of separation events. Falcon 9's nine first-stage engines ensure safe mission completion even in the case that the engine shuts down. SpaceX boasted that they can fly as many as six used Falcon 9 rockets in the next few months. This sparks the new age of considerably cheap rocket launches and, inevitably, more affordable space missions and explorations in the future.