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SpaceX successfully blasts off from NASA's famous launch pad
After a last-moment delay, SpaceX has put NASA's legendary Launch Complex 39A back into action. The company successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the historic pad (best known for the Apollo 11 mission) Sunday morning, and topped it off by landing the first stage nearby. This is the first time the complex has been used since Space Shuttle Atlantis took off in 2011 -- and by extension, the first time a private spaceflight outfit has launched from it.
Watch a SpaceX Falcon 9 take off from NASA's historic launch pad (updated)
At 10:01 AM ET on February 18th, a SpaceX flight will take off from Launch Complex 39A for the first time since the company signed a 20-year lease for its use. The company will also attempt another first stage landing around 9 minutes after take off. Complex 39A is the same historic site where NASA used to launch space shuttles from the beginning through the end of the program. In 2013, the agency opened up the Kennedy Space Center launch pad to private space companies, which prompted Elon Musk and Blue Origin chief Jeff Bezos to bid against each other. After Musk won the bidding war, SpaceX began modifying the site for its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
