On Friday, SpaceX did a friend a favor — far above the stratosphere.
The aerospace startup, helmed by Elon Musk, executed yet another rocket launch Friday morning, achieving liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara, California. The Falcon 9 rocket was en route to orbit to drop off 10 satellites for communications firm Iridium, CNN explained.
The rocket that took flight Friday had actually been used before, Space.com noted, and took flight exactly one year after SpaceX's first successful reused rocket launch. In total, Iridium has commissioned SpaceX to launch 75 of its satellites into orbit, having "bought eight Falcon 9 launches for a total of $536 million," Space.com reported.
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Fog off the California coast threatened to inhibit viewing conditions, but the rocket ended up launching cleanly into an early morning sky. Watch the launch below. Kimberly Alters
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