US space exploration company SpaceX completed its second of two rocket launches inside three days on Sunday, with both missions successful in relanding parts of their rockets safely back on Earth, dpa reported. At 1.25 pm (2025 GMT) a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit for communications company Iridium, after blasting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a statement said. Similar to a launch on Friday from Cape Canaveral in Florida, the first-stage rocket involved in the launch returned to Earth and landed on a floating platform in the sea. The California-based company first used a partially recycled rocket to launch a satellite back in March. Reusable rockets are considered key to lowering the cost of space flight, as NASA turns over to private companies the transport of goods, and eventually astronauts, to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX is also seeking to be the first to offer passenger flights into space.
