Image: Launch of a Falcon 9 rocket. Credit: SpaceX Just this evening, for the first time in aerospace history, a rocket was launched vertically, entered into space and into Earth orbit and successfully returned to the Earth landing upright. This amazing task was completed by a Falcon 9 rocket, built by the private American company SpaceX, owned by CEO Elon Musk. The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8:29 p.m. Eastern time. Even if this flight had not been successful, it signified a return to flight for SpaceX, which had not had a successful flight since an earlier Falcon 9 rocket exploded in June. SpaceX had tried a vertical landing twice before, one in January and the other in April. Both times the rocket nearly hit its mark but failed and ended up toppling over. Then just two days before Thanksgiving, Blue Origin, a space tourism company owned by Jeff Bezos, announced that it had successfully launched an uncrewed rocket and landed it upright in the Arizona desert. Musk congratulated Bezos after the launch, although it was pointed out that the rocket didn't enter Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched, went into Earth orbit and returned to the Earth and landed upright. We now know that reusable rockets are possible. Although many more tests will likely be done in the future, this opens up new doors for future space exploration. Also, now that we know rockets can be reused, manned space exploration will be much cheaper. #astronomy #astronomer #astrophysics #space #cosmos #science #physics #universe #stars #planet #astronaut #constellation #interstellar #spacetravel #outerspace #instaspace #instalike #instafollow #astrobiology #Nasa #Hubble #telescope #galaxy #stargazing #starstuff #astrophysics_ - December 22, 2015 at 11:06AM Source: https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xtf1/t51.2885-15/e35/12317450_1646388868949147_39970800_n.jpg

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