An updated version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, tailored for eventual crewed missions for NASA, made its debut launch on Friday from Florida's Cape Canaveral carrying a communications satellite for Bangladesh.
The newly minted Block 5 edition of the Falcon 9 — equipped with about 100 upgrades for greater power, safety and reusability than its Block 4 predecessor — lifted off at 4:14 p.m. from the Kennedy Space Center.
Minutes later, the rocket's main-stage booster flew itself back to Earth to achieve a safe return, landing on an unmanned platform vessel in the Pacific Ocean.
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