SpaceX has (gasp) expended its fifth Falcon 9 in a row [Updated]

Trevor Mahlmann/Special to Ars

Monday 5pm ET Update: The Falcon 9 rocket launched on schedule, reached orbit without a hitch, and deployed the Dragon spacecraft en route to the International Space Station. This was SpaceX's seventh successful launch of 2018.

Original post: In 2017, SpaceX launched 18 Falcon 9 rockets and recovered all 15 of the first stages it attempted to land. But this year, SpaceX has landed just one of the Falcon 9 boosters it launched-its first flight of the year on January 8. Since then, the rocket company has not sought to recover any of the four Falcon 9 rockets it has launched.

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