SpaceX returns to flight, successfully lands Falcon 9 rocket

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully landed a Falcon 9 rocket in the first flight since September’s explosion.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Picture: SpaceX via AP.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX says its first launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since a fiery September accident has successfully placed a constellation of satellites in orbit. The two-stage rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 9:54am Saturday, local time (4.40am Sunday AEDT) to place 10 satellites into orbit for Iridium Communications Inc.

About nine minutes later, the first stage returned to Earth and landed successfully on a barge in the Pacific Ocean south of Vandenberg.

The flight marks the return to space for SpaceX after one of its Falcon 9 rockets exploded on a Florida launch pad during a test fire in September, destroying the rocket and its payload.

The return to flight is an important step for SpaceX, a California-based company that has about 70 launches in line, worth more than $US10 billion ($16.24bn).

SpaceX officials say they took corrective action on all possible causes of the September 1 accident that destroyed a Falcon 9 and a satellite on a Florida launch pad.

The company’s rockets were grounded during the investigation.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Tesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk. It is the first private company to complete commercial space missions, including resupply flights to the ISS. It has made over 30 successful launches to date, and seeks to be the first to offer passenger flights into space.

AP, DPA