On February 19th 2017, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida. The launch took place at approximately 9:40am Eastern Daylight Time, from the historic Launchpad 39A . 39A is the site of the last launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which took place on July 8th 2011. It was also home of the Apollo missions which included the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The Falcon 9 lifted off carrying with it crew supplies, spare parts, and other vehicle parts all totaling 5,500 pounds of cargo intended to resupply the International Space Station. Ten minutes after the second stage boosted the first stage into orbit, the booster stage made its return to earth. Two sonic booms preceded the booster's return for a successful landing at SpaceX's ground based landing area at Cape Canaveral.
The launch, originally scheduled for February 18th, was delayed due to a minor malfunction. It makes the second SpaceX success since the company's triumphant return to space with a launch on January 14th 2017.
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