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SpaceX Falcon-9 Rocket Pulls Off Breakthrough Vertical Landing

SpaceX's Rocket Just Did Something That Has Never Been Done Before
Nitya Rajan
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SpaceX has finally triumphed over its many hurdles and pulled off a historic breakthrough as its rocket, Falcon-9, made a vertical landing.

The achievement was a defining moment for the company, which used the rocket booster to send 11 satellites into orbit.

Aside from making history and proving all the doubters wrong, the broader mission of the project is to cut the costs of space travel by using reusable rockets.

As rocket shot back down to Cape Canaveral, Florida commentators for SpaceX TV said: "The Falcon has landed."

According to Sky News, another commentator added: "This has been a wildly successful return to flight for SpaceX.

"We made history today."

NASA congratulated the company on Twitter: "Congratulations @SpaceX on your successful vertical landing of the first stage back on Earth!"

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SpaceX founder and billionaire also shared his excitement and said: "11 satellites deployed to target orbit and Falcon has landed back at Cape Canaveral. Headed to LZ-1. Welcome back, baby!"

Both Musk and SpaceX proudly posted images and video of the historic moment on Twitter:

The Telegraph reported Musk's comments at a teleconference following the landing:

"I still can't quite believe it," he said.

"I think this is a revolutionary moment. No one has ever brought an orbital class booster back intact."

A Look Back At SpaceX's Falcon-9 Rocket
FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: SpaceX successfully lands its first reusable rocket(01 of09)
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FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: (SpaceX HANDOUT - EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ) A handout picture made available by SpaceX on 22 December 2015 shows a nine-minute exposure picture of the launch, re-entry, and landing burns of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 21 December 2015. Private space flight company SpaceX successfully returned a rocket to Earth following a satellite launch on 21 December after two earlier attempts failed. (Photo by SpaceX Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: SpaceX successfully lands its first reusable rocket(02 of09)
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FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: (SpaceX HANDOUT - EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ) A handout picture made available by SpaceX on 22 December 2015 shows a nine-minute exposure picture of the launch, re-entry, and landing burns of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 21 December 2015. Private space flight company SpaceX successfully returned a rocket to Earth following a satellite launch on 21 December after two earlier attempts failed. (Photo by SpaceX Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: SpaceX successfully lands its first reusable rocket(03 of09)
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FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: (SpaceX HANDOUT - EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ) A handout picture made available by SpaceX on 22 December 2015 shows SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully landing upright at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 21 December 2015. Private space flight company SpaceX successfully returned a rocket to Earth following a satellite launch on 21 December after two earlier attempts failed. (Photo by SpaceX Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: SpaceX successfully lands its first reusable rocket(04 of09)
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FLORIDA, USA - DECEMBER 21: (SpaceX HANDOUT - EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ) A handout picture made available by SpaceX on 22 December 2015 shows SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket successfully landing upright at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 21 December 2015. Private space flight company SpaceX successfully returned a rocket to Earth following a satellite launch on 21 December after two earlier attempts failed. (Photo by SpaceX Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - SEPTEMBER 21: Private Spaceflight Company SpaceX Launches Cargo Capsule On Resupply Mission To Int'l Space Station(05 of09)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - SEPTEMBER 21: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon supply ship lifts off from the launch pad on a resupply mission to the International Space Station, on September 21, 2014 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The private spaceflight rocket is delivering a cargo capsule to the International Space Station. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - JUNE 28: US-SPACE-AEROSPACE-NASA(06 of09)
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Space X's Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off from space launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida June 28, 2015 with a Dragon CRS7 spacecraft. The unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, following what was meant to be a routine cargo mission to the International Space Station. 'The vehicle has broken up,' said NASA commentator George Diller, after NASA television broadcast images of the white rocket falling to pieces. 'At this point it is not clear to the launch team exactly what happened.' The disaster was the first of its kind for the California-based company headed by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has led a series of successful launches even as competitor Orbital Sciences lost one of its rockets in an explosion in October, and a Russian supply ships was lost in April. SpaceX's live webcast of the launch went silent about two minutes 19 seconds into the flight, and soon after the rocket could be seen exploding and small pieces tumbling back toward Earth. AFP PHOTO/ BRUCE WEAVER (Photo credit should read BRUCE WEAVER/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:BRUCE WEAVER via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - JUNE 28: Falcon-9 Launches(07 of09)
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CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - JUNE 28: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) SpaceX Falcon-9 lifts off from the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on June 28, 2015 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. After the launch the rocket exploded. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) (credit:The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - FEBRUARY 11: SpaceX Falcon9 blasts off(08 of09)
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A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket blasts off the launch pad on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, carrying the NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft that will orbit between Earth and the sun, providing advanced warning of extreme emissions from the sun which can effect power grids and satellites close to earth. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Orlando Sentinel via Getty Images)
FLORIDA, USA - OCTOBER 2012: SPACEX(09 of09)
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SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on October 7, 2012. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket blasted off on October 7, launching the cargo-laden Dragon capsule into orbit en route to the International Space Station for NASA's first privately-run supply mission. AFP PHOTO / Bruce Weaver (Photo credit should read BRUCE WEAVER/AFP/GettyImages) (credit:BRUCE WEAVER via Getty Images)
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