Like a boss: Falcon soars into space and lands in the ocean

Ars Technica » Scientific Method 2016-04-12

A little more than 8 minutes after launch the Falcon 9 rocket landed safely back on Earth. (credit: SpaceX)

A nonchalant Elon Musk met with reporters on Friday evening. “It didn't put a hole in the ship or fall over, so we're pretty excited,” the SpaceX founder said at a news conference.

This is what understatement sounds like. Musk's Falcon 9 rocket had just shot 200km up into space and flown almost horizontal to the planet at six times the speed of sound, before falling back to Earth. Then, somehow, it landed like a feather on a robotic barge in the ocean. The Falcon even found time to put an inflatable space habitat into orbit, too.

“This was a beautiful day, and circumstances were good," Musk continued. "It's quite a tiny target. It's really trying to land on a postage stamp out there.”

Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments