Photos: SpaceX Launches, Lands 1st 'Block 5' Falcon 9 Rocket

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Block 5 First Stage on Drone Ship

SpaceX

The first stage of SpaceX's first Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket sits on the deck of the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You" just after acing its landing on May 11, 2018.

Block 5 Falcon 9 on the Pad, May 11, 2018

SpaceX

SpaceX’s first ”Block 5" Falcon 9 rocket and its payload, the Bangabandhu-1 communications satellite, on the launch pad on May 11, 2018.

On the Pad

SpaceX

The two-stage Block 5 Falcon 9 and its payload, the Bangabandhu-1 communications satellite, stand poised to launch on May 10, 2018.

Abort!

SpaceX

A "standard ground system auto abort" scuttled the May 10 liftoff attempt with just 58 seconds left on the countdown clock.

The First Block 5 Rolls to the Pad

Elon Musk/Instagram

SpaceX's first Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket rolls toward its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of its planned May 2018 launch.

Bangladesh's First Satellite

Thales Alenia Space

Bangabandhu Satellite-1 will be Bangladesh’s first communications satellite. Here, the satellite is seen undergoing testing by its builders, the French company Thales Alenia Space.

Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.