After successfully delivering 11 ORBCOMM communications satellites into orbit, SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket upright back on the ground.
According to NBC News, SpaceX launched its rocket Monday from the Cape Canaveral base in Florida. It was the first attempt at landing the 15-story Falcon 9 rocket after launch since one exploded in June.
11 satellites deployed to target orbit and Falcon has landed back at Cape Canaveral. Headed to LZ-1. Welcome back, baby!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 22, 2015
"I ran out on the causeway just to watch the landing, and the sonic boom reached me just as the rocket touched down, so I thought at first the rocket exploded," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told reporters in a teleconference after the landing, according to Space.com. "Then I went back into launch control and saw this amazing video of the rocket on the pad... I can't quite believe it.
"I wasn't at all confident that this would succeed, but I'm glad that it did."
Before the rocket explosion in June, SpaceX successfully got its rocket back to the ground but watched as it tipped over during the landing attempt. The explosion six months ago was a setback that caused SpaceX to delay some of its routine missions like flying supplies to the International Space Station.
"It's a revolutionary moment," NBC News quoted Musk telling reporters. "No one has ever brought a booster, an orbital-class booster, back intact.
"I can't quite believe it," he said. "It's quite shocking." Musk said the landing appeared close to perfect and the company "could not have asked for a better mission or a better day."
