【Thriller Archives】

SpaceX has just successfully landed its first rocket on Thriller Archivesthe U.S. West Coast.

After launching a satellite from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday evening with the Falcon 9 rocket, the spaceflight company brought its first stage booster back to Earth just under eight minutes after liftoff.

SEE ALSO: Newly-discovered world on the edge of the solar system could lead us to Planet X

While SpaceX has launched a rocket from Vandenberg AFB in July, its landing took place on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

This time around, the Falcon 9's booster returned to SpaceX's ground-based Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), located right next to the launch pad at Vandenberg AFB. It's a former launch pad for NASA's Titan family of rockets, which were retired in 2005.

Watch the moment the Falcon 9's booster landed right on the button on LZ-4. It's pretty smooth:

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SpaceX began building LZ-4 in 2016, taking a year to complete.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Land landings aren't threatened by storms like ocean landings are, and they also allow SpaceX to refurbish the boosters faster, as they don't need to be recovered from sea.

Nearby residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties were warned they "may hear one or more sonic booms" from the landing. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk warned that the booms "won't be subtle."

But there were some beautiful-looking trails in the sky above Los Angeles and San Francisco, left behind by the rocket's launch.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The upgraded Block 5 Falcon 9 is part of SpaceX's plan for vastly cheaper and more efficient spaceflight.

SpaceX has a goal of using the boosters up to ten times with little maintenance, and 100 with refurbishment, as well as being able to relaunch boosters 24 hours after landing.

---

Featured Video For You

---

This farm, run entirely by robots, uses 90% less water than traditional farms

---

• Tech
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Science
• Life

• No Time for a Negative Peace
• Once upon a time Apple made sneakers and they could cost you $15K
• How to throw your own painfully nerdy James Comey watch party
• How to recognize if you're being racially gaslighted
• Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
• Desperate to find Wonder Woman porn? Join the club.
• Ivanka Trump's 'US Weekly' cover is so dumb, it had to be memed
• Devin Nunes can't sue Twitter over a parody
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 5, 2025
• And now, 12 of the best quotes from the Comey hearing

• NYT's The Mini crossword answers for March 1
• The big loser during the eclipse? Solar power.
• Here's all the cool stuff you can do on social media to celebrate the eclipse
• 'The Completely Made
• Golden Corral finally admits data breach. Here’s what got exposed.
• Facebook and Instagram are down. Users aren't reacting well
• How to talk to a human at the IRS
• Elon Musk's X has already backed off its new anti
• LEGO Animal Crossing sets drop: Shop LEGO deals at Best Buy
• Flooded petrochemical plants are threatening Houston's air and water

• Weather app glitch makes it look like hell is basically freezing over
• Your next iPhone may not come with earbuds or a charger
• RedTube's new adult greeting cards will make any occasion sexy
• Now Trump wants solar panels to pay for the border wall
• Who is SpaceX's first moon passenger, Yusaku Maezawa?
• A guide to the James Comey hearing, for normals
• Students rant about ridiculously confusing exam with hilarious memes
• What Amazon's insane 49,000 percent gain can teach you about investing
• Best gaming laptop deal: Save $400 on the HP Victus 15 with Ryzen 5 and Radeon RX 6550M
• James Comey is our newest sex symbol. Wait, what?

• How to cancel your Kindle Unlimited subscription
• This couple got a pretty rotten surprise from UberEats
• Best tech books of 2020 (so far)
• Uber's CEO reportedly sent out rules for sex between employees before a 2013 party
• Ireland fines TikTok $600 million for sharing user data with China
• We want your honest loyalty about these posters we designed for 'Trump
• The online lesson plan marketplace boomed when the pandemic hit
• RedTube's new adult greeting cards will make any occasion sexy
• Norrie vs. Diallo 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• The online lesson plan marketplace boomed when the pandemic hit