That which has lifted hopes and dreams to the Cosmos, has happened yet again.

 On the evening of March 30, 2017 SpaceX conducted a launch from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A or LC-39A. This launch pad was made famous during the Apollo era as the launch pad of the historic Apollo 8 being the first Manned mission to the Moon in December 1968 and again in July of 1969 it was used again for historic Apollo 11 Saturn V launch as the first Manned mission to land on our nearest heavenly body, the Moon.

 SpaceX has made history once again by taking a flight proven rocket that lifted  the CRS-8 Dragon spacecraft into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for its rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). And around 9 minutes later, the same Falcon 9 booster landed under its own power successfully for the first time on the Automated Spaceport Droneship (ASDS) the " Of Course I Still Love You " (OCISLY).

 This this is a major milestone in SpaceX's grand plan for launch vehicle re-usability and affordability. This is also further pushing SpaceX's mission of being the first commercial company to put colonists on a planetary body by sending humans to the red planet, with SpaceX's Mars Interplanetary Colonial Transport system or ICT.

 

(Photo: SES-10 - Michael McCabe / SpaceFlight Insider)

 Up next for SpaceX is the NROL-67 mission on April 30th,2017 at 7 a.m. eastern Daylight Time LC-39A, launching SpaceX's first classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office. Around 9 minutes later SpaceX will attempt to land once again the Falcon 9 booster at LZ-1. This will make the 4th successful landing at LZ-1 if all goes to plan. 

 We have had 3 land-based Falcon 9 booster recovery successes at LZ-1 so far. These were the Orbcomm OG-2 M2, CRS-9 and CRS-10 missions the Commercial Resupply Contract under NASA. For a total of 13 successful landing between ocean landing, ASDS, and Landing Zone 1. There have been many naysayers since the inception of Space Exploration Technologies. Founder and CEO/CTO Elon Musk and his Company President and COO Gwynne Shotwell have slapped every naysayer in the kisser with most righteous success after success. SpaceX is a company that takes no and makes it a historical and resounding YES! In a post mission press briefing SpaceX Founder Elon Musk and Martin Halliwell, Chief technology officer for SES stated that the Falcon 9 Booster F9-S1-021, the first to fly land and re-fly and re-land will be made a display piece for all the world to see at Cape Canaveral. Now whether that will be refined to Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Airforce Station will depend on further discussions between the powers that be. Well done on a most excellent mission success and here is to many more.

Ad Aspera Per Astra -  "through hardships to the stars"

                                                       (Photo: SpaceX CRS-8 SpaceX)