First Stage Sticks the Landing, Second Stage Engine Cuts Off
After launching NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) observatory and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) satellites, a first stage booster lands at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Landing Zone 4 in California. Photo credit: NASA+
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage has successfully landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Landing Zone 4 in California. Meanwhile, the engine in the Falcon 9’s second stage has cut off.
The next milestone will be when the SPHEREx observatory separates from the rocket’s second stage in about 30 minutes.