Falcon 9 Upgrade
A Falcon 9 upgrade sits poised on Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station prior to its launch on Dec. 21, 2015. This was the first commercial launch of the Falcon 9 upgrade, which the Air Force certified for National Security Space launches on Jan. 25. The upgraded version is taller and has more thrust than the previous version of the rocket. Standing 229 feet tall, the Falcon 9 upgrade burns a super-chilled mixture of liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene colder than the propellants consumed on SpaceX’s earlier launches. SpaceX successfully landed the rocket’s first stage booster in a landing zone approximately six miles south of the launch pad. (Photo/SpaceX)