SpaceX has been successfully landing its Falcon 9 rockets for more than a year now. It’s a goal that CEO Elon Musk has talked about since founding the company 15 years ago, and yet it still feels like SpaceX achieved it at lightning speed. The company even relaunched a landed rocket for the first time ever in March, paving the way to real rocket reusability.
But SpaceX didn’t get to this point without a few explosions along the way. So here’s a GIF recap of all the successes and failures — click the links for more info on each:
SpaceX spent a few years test-landing smaller scale versions of its rockets, too. So while the landings are almost becoming routine, it’s still pretty amazing how far things have come. “It’s been 15 years to get to this point, it’s taken us a long time,” Musk said after the historic relaunch and landing in March. “A lot of difficult steps along the way, but I’m just incredibly proud of SpaceX for being able to achieve this incredible milestone in the history of space.”
This post has been updated with video.