The Dragon spacecraft is now the first private spaceship to achieve orbit and return to Earth safely. It just splashed down within the Pacific Ocean, after an excellent mission. It is a huge milestone within the history of space exploration.
After aborting the first launch attempt as a result of a false telemetry reading, the Falcon 9 rocket zoomed up flawlessly from Cape Canaveral ( ” >watch video here ), reaching orbit in under ten minutes and releasing the Dragon spacecraft.
Dragon then orbited the planet gathering data for mission control. Then it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, opening its parachute and splashing gracefully inside the Pacific Ocean. This hasn’t happened since the Apollo years!
But the real thing here’s the undeniable fact that this feat-launching a spacecraft capable of carrying seven astronauts no less and returning it safely to Earth-has been never achieved outside of state agencies.
This is a new beginning inside the age of space exploration. Congratulations, SpaceX.
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