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A SpaceX Falcon ix rocket flared to life in the early hours of Fri morning to launch a resupply mission to the International Infinite Station (ISS). The rocket carried, amidst other things, a floating robot caput. That'south non the simply reason this launch was special. Both the Falcon 9 first stage booster and the Dragon capsule have been used in previous launches, allowing SpaceX to over again gloat about its reusable rocket prowess.

The mission launched at 5:42 AM from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The 2d stage separated and made its way into orbit. It volition encounter up with the space station on Mon to deliver 5,900 pounds (two,700 kg) of cargo. That includes the aforementioned robot head, but too NASA's Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) instrument. In fact, more than half the total mass consists of scientific equipment.

As for Friday'due south launch, the Dragon capsule went to the ISS previously in July of 2016. The first phase booster sent NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) into space dorsum in April. Merely x weeks for a complete refit and reuse of a Falcon 9 rocket is impressive. You can come across the full SpaceX webcast of the launch below (the launch starts around 18 minutes).

This feat might accept been even more impressive if SpaceX had landed the Falcon 9 again, only that wasn't in the cards. It wasn't so much that information technology would take been unusually difficult, just SpaceX simply didn't need this rocket booster anymore. The visitor recently debuted the Falcon 9 Cake 5, which is the last variant of the vehicle. The rocket from Fri's launch was an older Block iv variant. Rather than get to the expense of retrieving and transporting it, SpaceX just allow information technology drop into the ocean.

The Dragon will stay linked with the ISS for a month, somewhen returning to Earth with 2,860 pounds (1,297 kg) of scientific gear that is no longer needed on the station. SpaceX hasn't said if it plans to use that vehicle a third time.

This marks the second time NASA has flown a completely reused launch vehicle. The last fourth dimension was in December of 2017, which was another ISS resupply mission. SpaceX has so far landed Falcon 9 boosters 25 times and flown 14 of those rockets a second time. As it farther develops reusable rocket applied science, SpaceX hopes to lower the cost of launches significantly. Non only will information technology make more turn a profit, merely information technology can undercut other launch providers like Orbital ATK and ULA.