SpaceX reflies a Block 5 rocket for the first time [Updated]

Enlarge / A Block 5 variant of the Falcon 9 rocket launches in July. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)

Tuesday update: Early Tuesday morning, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at the top of its launch window. The first stage delivered its satellite payload into space and then returned to a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. About 30 minutes after liftoff, the rocket's second stage pushed the Merah Putih satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.

The big question now is, when will this particular first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket fly a third time?

Original post: On May 11, SpaceX launched the new, optimized-for-reuse Block 5 variant of its Falcon 9 rocket for the first time. Just before the flight, Ars asked company founder Elon Musk how long it would be before we saw the first reflight of a Block 5 booster.

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