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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

SpaceX is back in business [cnn.com]:

SpaceX returned to flight Saturday after a 4½-month hiatus. The private space exploration company headed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:54 a.m. PT, taking 10 satellites into space for voice and data company Iridium. It marked the company's first launch since a Falcon 9 rocket exploded at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in September [cnn.com].

The launch's success Saturday was made even sweeter by a smooth return landing for the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster. It safely returned from space and glided to a landing on a seafaring platform, known as a drone ship.

Also at NPR [npr.org], Reuters [reuters.com], and NYT [nytimes.com].

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