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SpaceX Rocket Launches X-37B Space Plane on Secret Mission, Aces Landing
By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer | September 7, 2017 10:49am ET
https://www.space.com/38067-spacex-launches-x-37b-space-plane.html

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the robotic X-37B lifted off today (Sept. 7) at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida............................

About 2.5 minutes into the flight, the Falcon 9's two stages separated. While the second stage continued hauling the X-37B to orbit, the first stage maneuvered its way back to Earth, eventually pulling off a vertical touchdown at Landing Zone 1, a SpaceX facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is next door to KSC. .....................

The company has now aced 16 such booster landings during orbital liftoffs —*seven at Landing Zone 1 and nine on robotic "drone ships" at sea — including a string of 12 in a row. (This streak does not take into account the explosion of a Falcon 9 during a pre-launch test on Sept. 1, 2016; the last failed landing attempt came in June 2016.) These touchdowns are part of SpaceX's effort to develop rapidly reusable spaceflight systems, which company founder and CEO Elon Musk has said could slash the cost of space exploration and utilization.

But the landing was a secondary objective. The main goal today was getting the reusable X-37B —*also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) —*into orbit.

Several videos in link above.