Spacewatch: SpaceX reuses rocket to launch north American satellite
by Stuart Clark from on (#34WF2)
Elon Musk's firm blasts previously flown Falcon 9 first-stage booster into space and recovers it safely back on Earth
SpaceX set a brisk pace this week, with two successful launches of the Falcon 9 rocket. The second launch by the company - whose chief executive is its billionaire founder, Elon Musk - re-used a previously flown first stage booster, increasing confidence that SpaceX could deliver re-useable rockets and so drive down launch costs.
The first launch took place on 9 October. The rocket lifted off from the Vandenberg airforce base in California at 05:37 PDT (12:37 GMT). It placed 10 communications satellites in a 400-mile-high orbit for Iridium, the telecommunications company.
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