A Falcon 9 first stage lands upright for the first time
SpaceX landed the first stage of an orbital-class rocket back at Cape Canaveral, proving the core idea of reusable rockets.
Archive entry. This article looks back at an event from December 21, 2015. It was drafted with AI assistance from public records and is being fact-checked. See our About page.
On December 21, 2015, a Falcon 9 launched 11 ORBCOMM satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral, then its first stage returned and landed vertically at Landing Zone 1, a pad a few miles from where it had lifted off.
It was the first time the first stage of an orbital-class rocket had been landed after delivering a payload. Earlier attempts to land on ocean platforms had ended in failures.
Why it mattered
Landing the booster was the first step to reusing it, which SpaceX argued would sharply lower launch costs. Reflown boosters later became routine.
