Ascent
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SAOCOM-1A satellite rises into the sky above California’s Vandenberg Air Force Station on Oct. 7, 2018.
One Up, One Down
This amazing view shows the upward path of the two-stage SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched Argentina’s SAOCOM-1A radar-imaging satellite from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Station on Oct. 7, 2018 (left) and the downward path of the booster’s first stage, which aced its touchdown back at Vandenberg less than 8 minutes after liftoff (right).
Stay on Target!
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket made history with this landing at Landing Zone 4 at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Station on Oct. 7, 2018. The touchdown marked SpaceX's first-ever West Coast landing of a Falcon 9 rocket.
Touchdown!
A SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage stands atop Landing Zone 4 after successfully landing on the pad on Oct. 7, 2018 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It was SpaceX's first-ever West Coast landing.
Landing Zone 4
An overhead view of SpaceX's newest rocket landing site, Landing Zone 4, near its West Coast launchpad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX will attempt the first landing at the site on Oct. 7, 2018. It will be SpaceX's first land-based landing on the West Coast.
SpaceX's Landing Zone 4
A look at Landing Zone 4, SpaceX's newest rocket landing site, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches SAOCOM-1A
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SAOCOM-1A Earth-observation satellite launches from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Oct. 7, 2018.