【2005 Archives】

SpaceX has just successfully landed its first rocket005 Archivesthe U.S. West Coast.

After launching a satellite from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday evening with the Falcon 9 rocket, the spaceflight company brought its first stage booster back to Earth just under eight minutes after liftoff.

SEE ALSO: Newly-discovered world on the edge of the solar system could lead us to Planet X

While SpaceX has launched a rocket from Vandenberg AFB in July, its landing took place on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

This time around, the Falcon 9's booster returned to SpaceX's ground-based Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), located right next to the launch pad at Vandenberg AFB. It's a former launch pad for NASA's Titan family of rockets, which were retired in 2005.

Watch the moment the Falcon 9's booster landed right on the button on LZ-4. It's pretty smooth:

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SpaceX began building LZ-4 in 2016, taking a year to complete.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Land landings aren't threatened by storms like ocean landings are, and they also allow SpaceX to refurbish the boosters faster, as they don't need to be recovered from sea.

Nearby residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties were warned they "may hear one or more sonic booms" from the landing. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk warned that the booms "won't be subtle."

But there were some beautiful-looking trails in the sky above Los Angeles and San Francisco, left behind by the rocket's launch.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The upgraded Block 5 Falcon 9 is part of SpaceX's plan for vastly cheaper and more efficient spaceflight.

SpaceX has a goal of using the boosters up to ten times with little maintenance, and 100 with refurbishment, as well as being able to relaunch boosters 24 hours after landing.

---

Featured Video For You

---

This farm, run entirely by robots, uses 90% less water than traditional farms

---

• Science
• Games
• Life
• Shopping
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Entertainment

• Amazon Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple AirPods 4 deal
• NASA celebrates 15 years of Mars orbiter with stunning photos
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with its new Gorilla Glass is tough as nails
• Twitter schools Rick Perry on basic economics after he speaks at a coal plant
• Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
• Hamster's vet tale will leave you laugh crying
• Hobby Lobby buying smuggled Iraqi artifacts is too much for the internet to handle
• Here's a tuna fish sliced in half yet still flailing, refusing to die
• Keeping Hope Alive
• Hamster's vet tale will leave you laugh crying

• Amazon insists on putting Alexa where no one wants it
• Over half of all Americans who take selfies dislike them, says survey
• Telltale Games closing, 'Stranger Things' game canceled
• Facebook set to release video chat device Portal
• Prepare yourself, Donald Trump is doing a Reddit AMA
• Tesla developed a key fob that looks like a mini Model 3
• Rudy Giuliani just wants to see the damn balloons, Trump
• Smart Replies constitute ten percent of all emails sent on Gmail
• Facebook Pages can now join Facebook Groups
• Watch this dad expertly help his kid pretend to be Spider

• 'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct: 3 takeaways
• Apple's floating store in Singapore is something else
• The best "Fall Guys" memes, video clips, jokes, and brutal strategies
• Once again, here's why people should think twice about riding elephants
• 'Thunderbolts*' mid
• Dude discovers his airport selfie with Jessica Alba is displayed in a deli he's never been to
• Ryan Reynolds helps teen get over her ex with some perfect Photoshop advice
• Microsoft backs Epic Games, says Apple threatens game development
• Draper vs. Arnaldi 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• Netflix apologizes for 'Cuties' poster accused of sexualizing children

• CPU Price Watch: 9900K Incoming, Ryzen Cuts
• Zoom is down in some parts of the U.S.
• Flying ants have invaded Wimbledon and it's impossibly gross
• Microsoft backs Epic Games, says Apple threatens game development
• Best grocery deal: Spend $20 and get $5 off at Amazon
• How to help victims of the California wildfires now
• Dude discovers his airport selfie with Jessica Alba is displayed in a deli he's never been to
• California fires look like a nightmare from space right now
• Amazon Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple AirPods 4 deal
• Apple's floating store in Singapore is something else