Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Space
  3. News

Watch a SpaceX rocket hurtle to orbit and back in 90 seconds

Trevor Mogg
By

A video released by SpaceX shows a spectacular rocket’s-eye view of a recent mission from launch to landing.

The footage, shot in clear conditions on January 3 during the company’s 200th mission, shows a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a flight that deployed satellites for a variety of customers.

As usual for a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission, the first-stage booster hurtled to orbit before separating from the payload-carrying second stage. The first stage then descended to Earth before performing a perfect upright landing back at Cape Canaveral. Other Falcon 9 missions sometimes involve the booster landing on a barge waiting in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

Related

The Falcon 9’s first stage spent just over eight minutes in the air during its latest flight, but the video is sped up, compressing the trip into just 90 seconds.

Onboard view from Falcon 9’s flight to space and back during smallsat rideshare mission pic.twitter.com/V5PyKxTlWD

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 5, 2023

The clip offers a great opportunity to fully appreciate the impressive work of the SpaceX engineers who developed the launch-and-landing process for the Falcon 9, a system that has enabled the company to cut the cost of space missions by using the same boosters, as well as other parts of the rocket such as the fairing, over and over again.

Indeed, the booster in last week’s mission was on its 15th flight, having previously supported the launch of GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and Intelsat G-33/G-34 missions, as well as 10 flights deploying Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s internet-from-space service. Other Falcon 9 flights have launched the Dragon spacecraft for cargo and crew missions to and from the International Space Station, and also sent to orbit a specially designed capsule for SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission in 2021.

If you enjoyed this latest SpaceX video, then be sure to check out another recently shared clip showing a unique view of a static fire test of the company’s next-generation Starship spacecraft. The vehicle will soon head to orbit atop the mighty Super Heavy rocket when it takes its first test flight in the coming months.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Watch SpaceX footage of Falcon Heavy from launch to landing
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy heading to space.
Watch key moments of SpaceX triple-booster Falcon Heavy launch
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy heading to space.
SpaceX reaches agreement with astronomers to limit Starlink interference
Image showing the disruption of astronomical observations caused by a previous Starlink launch
How to watch the classified SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch tomorrow
The Falcon Heavy is seen at Launch Complex 39A in Florida.
How James Webb peers into the atmospheres of far-off exoplanets
Illustration of a planet on a black background. The planet is large and rocky. Roughly two-thirds of the planet is lit, while the rest is in shadow.
NASA is asking for your help to study exoplanets
Members of the public can help astronomers observe and study the night sky through NASA’s Universe of Learning Exoplanet Watch program.
Hubble snaps an image of a galaxy in our cosmic backyard
This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features the galaxy LEDA 48062 in the constellation Perseus. LEDA 48062 is the faint, sparse, amorphous galaxy on the right side of the image, and it is accompanied by a more sharply defined neighbor on the left – the large, disk-like lenticular galaxy UGC 8603. A smattering of more distant galaxies litter the background while a handful of foreground stars shine brightly throughout the image.
How to watch two astronauts perform their first spacewalk on Friday
A photo of Expedition 68 Flight Engineer and NASA spacewalker Josh Cassada on Dec. 22, 2022, preparing a roll-out solar array for its deployment on the International Space Station's Port-4 truss segment as the orbiting lab flew 264 miles above the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa.
Enjoy these amazing space images by NASA’s oldest active astronaut
Don Pettit aboard the space station.
This must be the most beautiful image ever of a rocket launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching from Florida.
Still no joy for Lucy’s stuck solar array, NASA is giving up for now
see lucy spacecraft slingshot past earth fly by
Light pollution is cutting off views of the night sky for many
A startling analysis from Globe at Night — a citizen science program run by NSF’s NOIRLab — concludes that stars are disappearing from human sight at an astonishing rate. The study finds that, to human eyes, artificial lighting has dulled the night sky more rapidly than indicated by satellite measurements. The study showcases the unique contributions that citizen scientists can make in essential fields of research. This graphic illustrates how the greater the amount of light pollution, and therefore skyglow, the fewer the stars that are visible. The numeric scale is similar to the one used by Globe at Night participants. 
First spacewalk of the year sees astronauts dealing with a sticky foothold
Spacewalkers (from left) Koichi Wakata and Nicole Mann are pictured installing hardware on the space station preparing the orbiting lab for its next roll-out solar array.