SpaceX rocket and drone ship sail into Port Canaveral at sunset

A SpaceX booster that launched a Korean communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center this week sailed into Port Canaveral on Friday, again highlighting the Space Coast's role in rocket reusability.

Bathed in the sunset atop the company's Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, the Falcon 9 first stage quietly sailed into port just after 6 p.m., a departure from previous recoveries that included early morning arrivals. 

The brand new nine-engine rocket roared off pad 39A at 3:34 p.m. Monday, taking with it South Korean operator KT SAT's Koreasat-5A satellite to orbit. The booster then descended down to the drone ship several hundred miles off the coast of Florida, marking the California company's 19th successful landing – both on land and ship – in less than two years.

2017 has, so far, been a banner year for SpaceX with 16 successful launches, doubling last year's count of eight missions – and more are still on the way.

The company is targeting Nov. 15 for the launch of a secretive mission named "Zuma" for Northrop Grumman, which described its payload only as a "government mission." The launch from KSC's pad 39A is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will include a booster landing at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

SpaceX is also expected to launch its 13th resupply mission to the International Space Station in December, this time from Launch Complex 40. The pad and surrounding structures were damaged in September 2016 when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a test operation known as a "static test fire."

Finally, the highly anticipated three-core, 27-engine Falcon Heavy launch vehicle is expected to blast off on a demonstration flight before the end of the year, though the company has not yet confirmed an official date.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook at @EmreKelly.

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