SpaceX successfully lands its first-stage Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral

Success all around for today’s SpaceX mission. The company successfully launched a Dragon spacecraft that is on its way to the International Space Station. SpaceX also successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral.

The weather was cloudy, but it wasn’t enough to stop SpaceX from launching a rocket. At 9:39 ET, the Falcon 9 took off from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.

While this name might not sound familiar, the Apollo 11 mission used this launch complex to send the first humans to the Moon back in 1969. This is the first time this launch complex has been used since the 2011 Space Shuttle launch.

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Two and a half minutes later, the second stage parted ways with the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. The first stage was on its way back to Earth, while the second stage was carrying the Dragon spacecraft.

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And just eight minutes after the initial takeoff, the first stage successfully landed at Cape Canaveral.

Meanwhile in space, the Dragon spacecraft deployed its solar panels and is now going to orbit the Earth for a couple of days until it gets closer to the International Space Station. The spacecraft is carrying 5,500 pounds of supplies for the astronauts currently in space.