The Falcon 9 was developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to be the first orbital-class rocket capable of launching multiple missions as a way to reduce costs, and SpaceX went down in history in 2017 by launching the same rocket for the second time. The missile used in Sunday’s launch of a US National Security Intelligence Security payload was the same as the NRO’s payload in February, according to the office. SpaceX has now flown dozens of accelerators and spacecraft in satellite and cargo launches, but last year used reused mission hardware, including astronauts, marking the first time the company did so on a crew mission.
CNN’s Jackie Watts contributed to this report.
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