SpaceX recovers its Dragon spacecraft after launch into low-
Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla.,
and reentry on Dec. 8, 2010. (SpaceX) | Photo gallery SpaceX
Wednesday became the first commercial company to re-enter a
spacecraft from low-Earth orbit. The company launched a Dragon
spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape
Canaveral, Fla., at 10:43, Eastern time, Wednesday morning. The
Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth at speeds greater than
17,000 miles per hour, re-entered the atmosphere, and landed in
the Pacific Ocean, 500 miles off of the coast of Southern
California, shortly after 2 p.m., SpaceX said. This was the
first flight under a NASA program to develop commercial supply
services to the International Space Station. SpaceX is scheduled
to fly at least 12 cargo missions to and from the space station
after NASA retires the space shuttle program next year. The
Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day
carry astronauts.