#iridium1

A gorgeous picture of the Iridium-1 mission’s Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg’s SLC-3E. The rocket successfully launched on January 14, marking SpaceX’s successful return to flight following the Amos-6 incident as well as their first successful west-coast droneship landing. P/C: Elon Musk Instagram

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that launched the Iridium-1 mission arrived at the Port of Los Angeles early this morning, January 17. Iridium-1 marked the first successful west-coast landing of the rocket’s first stage, landing on Just Read the Instructions eight minutes after launch January 14. In the coming days, the rocket will be attached to a crane, have its four landing legs removed, and lowered to a horizontal position for transport to the company’s Hawthorne factory and headquarters. Four previous successful droneship landings on the east coast have seen SpaceX become more efficient at their recovery operations, and the booster should arrive by the end of this coming weekend. Once the rocket has been checked out at Hawthorne, it will be reused for a future mission. SpaceX is expecting to refly a first stage for the first time in the coming months, likely using the core of the CRS-8 mission from April, 2016. P/C: Gene Blevins, Imgur.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket will carry 10 Iridium Satellites to orbit next week. After launch the first stage will attempt a landing on the drone ship 'Just Read the Instructions'. The final countdown is on for SpaceX's return to flight. After the Rapid Unplanned Disassembly or R.U.D. on September 1st 2016 at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, we are finally back in action.