Landing Pad

The Air Force announced today that it has entered into a five-year agreement with SpaceX that will allow the company to lease existing launch space to create the first-ever landing pad for its reusable Falcon-9 first-stage rocket boosters.

In a Feb. 10 press release, the service states that the agreement will support the company's renovation of an existing launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, to support its testing of a reusable booster. The launch pad has previously been used for missile tests.

SpaceX has been testing its reusable launch system since 2012, and is slated for its next test flight tonight from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. In April 2014, the company achieved the first successful controlled landing of a rocket stage in the ocean. A test flight last month attempting a landing on a floating platform was unsuccessful.

SpaceX has yet to recover a reusable rocket.