SpaceX's Epic Falcon 9 Rocket Landing in Pictures

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Ground Control to Falcon 9

SpaceX

A view inside SpaceX's mission operations center in Hawthorne, California during the Dec. 21, 2015 Falcon 9 rocket launch and landing. Read the Epic Full Story Here.

Landing Pad 1

SpaceX

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket first stage landed here, at Landing Pad 1, a concrete pad operated by SpaceX at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where Falcon 9 rockets also launch from another pad nearby. Read the Epic Full Story Here.

On the Pad

SpaceX

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket stands atop its pad at Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida ahead of a satellite launch and rocket landing test. Read the Epic Full Story Here.

Waiting to Fly

SpaceX

The Falcon 9 rocket awaits liftoff. There's 11 satellites crammed in there, you know. Read the Epic Full Story Here.

Next Stop: Space

SpaceX

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch a series of Orbcomm commercial satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Dec. 21, 2015. Read the Epic Full Story Here.

Falcon 9 First Stage in Hangar

SpaceX (via Flickr as SpaceX Photos)

SpaceX's recovered Falcon 9 rocket first stage is seen in hangar with upgraded Merlin engines shown in close-up. Image taken Dec. 29, 2015.

Falcon 9 First Stage in Hangar

SpaceX (via Flickr as SpaceX Photos)

SpaceX's recovered Falcon 9 rocket first stage is seen in hangar. Image taken Dec. 29, 2015.

Falcon 9 First Stage in Hangar

SpaceX (via Flickr as SpaceX Photos)

SpaceX's recovered Falcon 9 rocket first stage is seen in hangar. Image taken Dec. 29, 2015.

Falcon 9 First Stage in Hangar

SpaceX (via Flickr as SpaceX Photos)

SpaceX's recovered Falcon 9 rocket first stage is seen in hangar. Image taken Dec. 29, 2015.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.