SpaceX Launches Fifth GTO-Bound Mission of 2016, Accomplishes Smooth Drone Ship Landing

Spectacular middle-of-the-night liftoff for JCSAT-16, the eighth SpaceX launch of 2016. Photo Credit: John Kraus/AmericaSpace

For the first time in its 14-year history, SpaceX has successfully launched an eighth mission within a single calendar year. Its Upgraded Falcon 9 booster—first flown last December—lifted off from Space Launch Complex (SLC)-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force [...]