SpaceX successfully landed a rocket on a drone ship
Elon Musk's private spaceflight company SpaceX launched a communications satellite into orbit early Sunday morning, its eighth successful flight in the last six months alone.
The rocket that boosted the satellite into space was also successfully retrieved, landing on a drone ship named Of Course I Still Love You in the ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral. "Tonight, we're channeling our inner Simone Biles, and we're hoping to stick the landing," said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice before launch, referencing the matchless U.S. gymnast currently competing at the Rio Olympics.
SpaceX attempts to retrieve all its rockets so they can be refurbished and reused in a cost-saving measure, a goal the company has met in five of six launches since April.
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