X

Now SpaceX is reusing a different kind of spacecraft

Elon Musk's space company doesn't just recycle rockets. Over the weekend it became the first outfit to send a ship back to orbit.

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SpaceX continues to get more use out of its individual rockets and spacecraft than just about any other organization in history. 

This time it wasn't a Falcon 9 rocket conquering Earth's gravity well for a second time, but a Dragon cargo craft filled with nearly three tons of supplies and science experiments headed for the International Space Station.

The same Dragon capsule performed an earlier resupply mission to the space station, making SpaceX the first company to launch the same vehicle into orbit twice. When it reaches the ISS Sunday, astronauts will be able to begin unloading all sorts of delicate pressurized cargo, including experiments for studying fruit flies and a drug that might be able to fight bone loss.

Other parts of Dragon's payload will help demonstrate new solar panels and help scientists explore the physics of neutron stars, according to a release from NASA. 

Strange science aboard the International Space Station (pictures)

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So much SpaceX

SpaceX also nailed yet another landing of its Falcon 9 rocket after sending Dragon on its way. This time the rocket returned to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral in Florida, rather than landing on one of the company's autonomous drone ships at sea. So far, that makes five successful landings ashore to add to a handful of drone ship landings, which took a little longer to perfect. 

Saturday's launch had been set for earlier in the week, but was rescheduled because of weather concerns. The delay also mucked up the timing of a burgeoning conspiracy theory that saw a recently launched top secret spy satellite on an apparent course to pass by the space station in time for the original planned docking of Dragon to the space station.

The Dragon will hang out at the space station for about a month before it makes its way back home for a splash down in the Pacific Ocean. No word yet on if it plans to make the trip a third time. 

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