Ministry of Interior joins hands with SDAIA in providing high tech services for pilgrims    19,710 illegals arrested in Saudi Arabia during first week of May    Saudi Armed Forces participate in 'Eager Lion 2024' exercise in Jordan    MHRSD: 1 million workers benefit from initiative to improve contractual relationship 50% fall in rate of labor disputes after launch of the initiative    SDAIA chief: Summit set to make Riyadh a global compass for AI advancements Crown Prince to patronize 3rd Global AI Summit in September    Egypt joins genocide case against Israel at ICJ    Pro-Palestinian protests sweep across Europe in response to Gaza attacks    Biden Administration proposes intelligence sharing to prevent Israeli occupation of Rafah    Neymar celebrates Al Hilal's title win, eager for comeback next season    Al Hilal wraps up Saudi League title; Jesus touts season as model of excellence    Saudi Arabia bolsters digital government ties with the UK    Muslim World League inaugurates first Southeast Asian scholars council in Kuala Lumpur    AlUla partners with Riyadh Air to enhance Saudi Arabia's travel offerings    Red Sea Global celebrates graduation of first batch of International Hospitality Management students    Al Hilal clinches Saudi Professional League title in a star-studded season    Saudi authorities recall contaminated mayonnaise after food poisoning incident at Riyadh restaurant    Al Ettifaq inflicts historic 5-0 defeat on Al Ittihad in Saudi Professional League    Israel heads to Eurovision final, despite protests    Rat remains found in bread sparks Japan recall and refunds    JAX District earns industrial heritage site designation in Saudi Arabia    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



SpaceX launches rocket from historic NASA pad in Florida
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 19 - 02 - 2017

A SpaceX Falcon rocket blasted off on Sunday from a Florida launch pad once used to send NASA astronauts to the moon, a step forward for billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and his company's goal of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station. The 229-foot tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 soared off a seaside launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:39 a.m. EST (1439 GMT) carrying a Dragon cargo ship that holds supplies and science experiments for the station, according to Reuters.
Nine minutes after blastoff, the main section of the rocket flew back to a landing pad at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the eighth successful touchdown for Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
"Baby came back," Musk wrote on Twitter, celebrating the landing. SpaceX had decided to delay the mission on Saturday, 13 seconds before launch due to concerns about the steering system in the rocket's upper stage.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration closely monitored Sunday's launch to learn more about the company's operations before it clears SpaceX to fly U.S. astronauts.
The liftoff marked a successful debut for SpaceX at Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A, originally built for the 1960s-era Apollo moon program and later repurposed for the space shuttles. SpaceX plans to use the pad for commercial missions, as well as future manned flights.
The pad was last used for the final space shuttle launch in 2011. In 2014, SpaceX signed a 20-year lease and has spent millions on remodeling.
"It was really awesome to see 39A roar back to life," SpaceX Dragon program manager Jessica Jensen told reporters after the launch. "This is a huge deal for us."
It was also SpaceX's first launch from Florida since an accident in September caused heavy damage to what had been the company's prime site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, located just south of the NASA spaceport.
NASA hired SpaceX to fly cargo to the station after the shuttle program ended. SpaceX and Boeing Co are scheduled to begin flying crews to the station by the end of 2018, but a U.S. government report last week said technical hurdles likely will delay both companies.
Last month, SpaceX resumed flying its Falcon 9 rockets using a second launch pad in California, where the first stage of the rocket also succeeded in relanding. The company plans to reuse the rockets to slash costs and reduce pricing.
SpaceX aims to have the Florida launch pad damaged in last year's explosion up and running by this summer.


Clic here to read the story from its source.