SpaceX flew a previously used rocket on Thursday in an unprecedented test of the durability of space equipment.
The Falcon 9 booster took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and landed on an ocean platform called “Of Course I Still Love You.” The aerospace company founded by Elon Musk said it was the “world’s first reflight of an orbital class rocket.”
If such rockets can be used more than once, the cost of orbital flights by SpaceX (and others) could be vastly reduced.
The Falcon 9 booster was previously used in April 2016. Thursday’s launch was part of a mission to put a telecommunications satellite into orbit, Reuters reported.
A webcast of Thursday’s flight is available on SpaceX’s website.
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