Rocket launched from historic NASA moon pad
CAPE CANAVERAL — A Space X rocket soared from NASA’s long-idled moonshot pad Sunday, sending up space station supplies from the exact spot where astronauts embarked on the lunar landings nearly a half-century ago.
Itwas the first flight from NASA’s legendary Launch Complex 39 A since the shuttle program ended almost six years ago, and Space X’s first liftoff from Florida since a rocket explosion last summer.
The crowds at Kennedy Space Center watched eagerly as the unmanned Falcon 9 rocket took flight with a cargo ship bound for the International Space Station. They got barely 10 seconds of viewing before clouds swallowed up the Falcon as it thundered skyward.
As an extra special treat, SpaceX landed its leftover booster back at Cape Canaveral several minutes after liftoff, a feat accomplished only twice before. Most of the company’s booster landings— rocket recycling at its finest — have used ocean platforms. As they did during the shuttle era, sonic booms heralded the booster’s return.
Flight controllers at SpaceX headquarters in Southern California cheered as the 15-story booster landed upright at its designated parking spot at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk celebrated the successful touch down via Twitter.
“Baby came back,” he tweeted.
The celebratory roar grew when the Dragon cargo ship successfully reached orbit a few minutes later. It will reach the space station Wednesday, delivering 5,500 pounds of food, clothes and experiments.
It was SpaceX’s second launch attempt in a row. Saturday’s effort was foiled by last-minute rocket concerns. The repairs paid off, and even the clouds parted enough to ensure a safe flight.
Musk said he’s honored to use Launch Complex 39A. The company hopes to launch astronauts from this very spot next year, bringing U.S. crew launches back to home soil after a longer thanhiatus.
It was a momentous comeback for SpaceX. The last time SpaceX had a rocket ready to fly from Florida, it blew upon a neighboring Cape Canaveral pad during prelaunch testing on Sept. 1.
Launch Complex 39A has now seen 95 launches. Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins left Earth from there on July 16, 1969, on the first moon-landing mission. The very first space shuttle pilots, John Young and Robert Crippen, soared from here on April 12, 1981. And in a grand shuttle finale, Atlantis took off from here on July 8, 2011.