SpaceX has successfully returned to space, launching its first Falcon 9 rocket since an accident in September destroyed a rocket on the launch pad along with its payload. Launches had been halted in the interim as the company investigated the cause of the accident. The company also successfully delivered communications satellites into orbit for its customer, Iridium.
With this successful launch, SpaceX plans to return to its regular launch schedule. Prior to its accident in September, the company had eight successful launches in 2016, averaging about one launch per month. Additionally, the company was recently awarded additional crewed commercial flights by NASA as part of a contract awarded to it.
In addition to a successful launch, this flight also saw a successful landing. The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket successfully returned to Earth, making a landing on the drone ship Just Read The Instructions. This is the second drone ship that has successfully received the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket.
Landing and reusing rockets is part of SpaceX's long-term vision of reducing the cost of its missions to its customers. It ambitiously plans to reduce the cost of its rockets from the current $61 million to between $5-7 million. The first launch with a recycled rocket was previously slated for the Fall of 2016, but a new date has not yet been announced.
