9 SPECTACULAR PHOTOS FROM LAST WEEK'S SPACEX LAUNCH AND LANDING

By Mary Beth Griggs

The giant rocket went up, it came back down on a drone ship in the middle of the ocean, and was safely towed back to land. What more could we possibly want?

Cool pictures. We always want cool pictures.

SpaceX posted some photos from their successful launch and landing last Friday, and they are amazing.

The Falcon 9 rocket may launch again as early as May or June. We can only hope that its second return journey goes as smoothly as its maiden voyage.

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So it begins

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from the landing site.

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SpaceX

From A Distance

Even standing at a distance, Popular Science editor Sarah Fecht described the launch as "the boom and shake of a thousand fireworks going off, crashing through the sound barrier".

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SpaceX

Successful Launch

The launch carried an inflatable habitat and other supplies to the ISS.

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What goes up...

The launch was picture perfect.

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...Must Come Down

Then came the tricky part: landing the Falcon 9 on SpaceX's drone ship.

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Almost There

Previous attempts at landings ended in explosions.

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Landing

But even though there were flames, this time SpaceX stuck the landing.

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Standing tall

The rocket landing sent up cheers around the world.

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