Falcon 9 lights up sky ahead of returning to Earth and it's the most magical sight ever
- The Falcon 9 rocket was carried aboard the Dragon spacecraft
- The four astronauts docked at the Space Station today (Tuesday, 5 March)
- Falcon 9 has revolutionised reusable space-travel tech
Published on Mar 05, 2024 at 8:52 AM (UTC-5)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Mar 06, 2024 at 9:30 AM (UTC-5)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
Falcon 9 lit up the night sky in incredible footage of its first stage return to Earth.
The first stage of the rocket made a successful return to Earth
Carried aboard the Dragon spacecraft, it had launched Crew-8 to the International Space Station (ISS).
READ MORE! The Tesla that Elon Musk launched into space 6 years ago is moving towards Mars
The stunning video of it blazing through the sky was taken on Sunday evening (3 March).
It marks a milestone in space exploration.
Astronauts are getting ready too with one recently revealing the transformative ‘recalibration’ benefit of living in a Mars simulator.
A post on X from SpaceX showed the beautiful night-time display in all its glory.
“Falcon 9 lit up the sky ahead of the first stage returning to Earth after launching Crew-8 to the @Space_Station Sunday evening,” it said.
The Falcon 9 rocket was carrying a crew of four.
The NASA astronauts aboard included Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut, Alexander Grebenkin.
The astronauts finally docked at the Space Station on Tuesday (5 March).
And while this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it come back down – as its astonishing landing on water was captured on camera here – it is the most beautiful return to Earth.
We’ve also seen SpaceX Falcon 9’s amazing liftoff.
Designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company, SpaceX, Falcon 9 has revolutionised reusable technology in space travel.
Its launch on 4 June, 2010, made it the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket.
The first stage of the rocket landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, US.
It’s the sole US rocket certified for transporting humans to the ISS.
2020 also saw it become the first commercial rocket launching humans into orbit.
It seems we are getting closer and closer to space tourism becoming the norm.
With a dual English and French degree and NCTJ diploma, Amelia began her career doing award-winning writing and editing for titles and brands spanning Women's Health, the Telegraph, Boots, and Vitality. Amelia joined the SB Media family in September of 2023, bringing her expertise in SEO and reader takeaway. As Lead Editor, her superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a shareable story.
