SpaceX sent a rocket soaring toward orbit Monday night with 11 small satellites, its first mission since an accident last summer.
Then it landed the leftover 15-story booster safely back on Earth.
It was the first time a rocket returned to land vertically at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and a huge success for SpaceX.
Company employees broke into cheers and chants for the touchdown 10 minutes after liftoff. Previous landing attempts failed, but those aimed for an ocean platform.
SpaceX employees jammed company headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., anxiously awaiting success outside Mission Control. They cheered at full throttle when the first stage separated cleanly two minutes into flight and reoriented itself for an unprecedented return to Cape Canaveral.
Then the roar became deafening, as TV cameras showed the first-stage booster landing right on a giant X at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
SpaceX commentators called it “incredibly exciting” and appeared to be visibly moved by the feat.
