First Stage Sticks the Landing!

The first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lands on the company’s drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” following liftoff from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on July 14, 2022, for the company’s 25th resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
The first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lands on the company’s drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” following liftoff from NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida on July 14, 2022, for the company’s 25th resupply services mission to the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA

The first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has successfully landed on the company’s “A Shortfall of Gravitas” drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the 130th time teams have recovered a first stage booster from Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles. Today’s launch marked the fifth flight for this Falcon 9, and it is the third Dragon flight to the International Space Station this year.

Up next, Dragon will separate from the rocket’s second stage for its solo journey to the International Space Station.