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SpaceX rocket sticks its landing

Falcon 9 launch

WHAT GOES UP  The reusable first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket successfully lands after a December 21 test flight, seen in this picture from a helicopter.

SpaceX

By Christopher Crockett

- More than 2 years ago

A rocket flying toward the ground is usually a bad sign, but for aerospace company SpaceX, it was a huge success. With engines blazing, the first section of a Falcon 9 rocket returned safely to Earth December 21 after a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, landing vertically on a platform just down the road.