SpaceX Back in Action
On Jan. 14, 2017, SpaceX launched 10 satellites for the company Iridium, and also landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a ship at sea. See images of the mission — SpaceX's first since a Sept. 1, 2016 launch pad explosion — here. Read the full story.
Picture-Perfect Landing
SpaceX's Falcon 9 First Stage lands on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" after a successful launch taking 10 Iridium-NEXt satellites into orbit on Jan. 14, 2017.
Engines Firing
SpaceX's Falcon 9 lifted off on Jan. 14, 2017 for the first time since the Sept. 1, 2016 explosion on the launch pad.
Falcon 9 Stage 1
A close-up of SpaceX's Falcon 9 in its first launch since the launch accident on Sept. 1, 2016. The rocket carried 10 Iridium NEXt satellites.
Falcon 9's Successful Launch
The Iridium-1 rocket, launched Jan. 14, 2017, carried 10 Iridium NEXt satellites into space.
A Controlled Descent
SpaceX's first successful launch since its Sept. 1, 2016 accident also ended with a successful landing on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" with a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off with 10 Iridium NEXt satellites aboard.
Almost Complete
SpaceX's Falcon 9's First Stage nears landing on the drone ship "Just Read the Instructions" after its successfully release its Second Stage to orbit with 10 Iridium NEXt satellites aboard.
Falcon 9 Iridium NEXt Satellites
Another perspective of the Jan. 14, 2017 launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 carrying 10 Iridium NEXt satellites into orbit.
Falcon 9 Launches in Return-to-Flight Mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rises into the sky above Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Jan. 14, 2017.
A Successful Launch
Engines fire, lifting SpaceX's Falcon 9 for its first launch since the Sept. 1, 2016 explosion on the launch pad. The Falcon 9's first stage successfully landed on a ship at sea.
Falcon 9 Returns to Flight
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with 10 Iridium NEXt satellites on board on Jan. 14, 2017. The launch was the first for SpaceX since a Falcon 9 exploded on the launch pad on Sept. 1, 2016.
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