Florida [US], February 20: SpaceX made history after launching a rocket into space from the coast of Florida and landing the rocket booster in another country. The mission on Tuesday marked the first time a Falcon 9 landed on a droneship off the coast of the Bahamas, Fox News reported.
In a post on X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote, "This is the first time that a rocket has taken off from one country, gone to space and landed in another country!"
About eight minutes after it was launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral, the Falcon 9's first stage booster landed on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship stationed off the coast of the Bahamas, in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX said being able to land in the Bahamas enables Falcon 9 to maximise its performance by launching into a southest trajectory from the Florida Space Coast, according to Fox News report.
Launching toward the southeast allows SpaceX to place additional satellites into orbit while also allowing the rockets to launch human spaceflight missions like Fram2.
According to the commercial space company, landing off the coast of the Bahamas gives greater winter weather for recovery options, which will enable the Falcon booster to continue to provide "rapid and reliable service" for the customers of Space, Fox News reported.
In a post on X, SpaceX wrote, "Falcon 9 lifts off from pad 40 in Florida, delivering 23 @Starlink satellites to the constellation ahead of completing our first droneship landing off the coast of The Bahamas."
The Falcon 9 booster used in the mission on Tuesday was previously used to launch eight astronauts to the psace station,critical cargo and supplies to the orbital lab, and send more than 200 Starlink satellites into orbit, among other things.
The booster on Tuesday helped send additional 23 Starlink satellites into orbit before making its return to terrestrial Earth.
Source: Times of Oman