New photos released by SpaceX Wednesday show just how sci-fi their rocket landings really are.
The back-lit images reveal the first stage of the Elon Musk-founded company's Falcon 9 rocket coming in for a landing on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 14.
SEE ALSO:SpaceX's breathtaking bullseye rocket landing in gifsThe Falcon 9 landing came after it helped launch a clutch of 10 communications satellites to orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket coming in for a landing.Credit: spacexThe satellites -- which belong to the communications company Iridium -- were propelled to their final orbit by the second stage of the rocket, after the first stage made its way back down to the drone ship.
This marks the seventh time SpaceX has successfully returned a booster to Earth after launching a payload to orbit.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket coming in for a landing.Credit: SpacexSpaceX hopes that by figuring out an economical way of returning these boosters after launch in order to use them for multiple missions, reducing the cost of flying to space.
The landing of the booster was actually secondary to the company's main goal of getting all of the Iridium satellites to their expected orbits.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket coming in for a landing.Credit: spacexAnd it's a good thing the launch was a success for SpaceX. The mission was the company's first since the devastating September explosion of another Falcon 9 in Florida during what should have been a routine fueling operation ahead of a test.
Had this launch hit a significant hiccup, SpaceX's orders could have taken a hit, along with its bottom line. Now industry experts will be watching to see how the company continues to make its comeback after the September explosion.
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