SpaceX recently launched its second Falcon 9 rocket of 2019, this time carrying three separate spacecraft for very different customers into orbit around the Earth. Shortly after SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket, its first stage fell back to Earth and landed upright on a drone ship in the ocean despite what many would have called inadequate weather conditions.
Two of the cargo spacecraft were mere satellites that will remain in orbit around the Earth; one being a low-cost satellite for the United States Air Force for research and development purposes, while the other is a communications satellite for Pasifik Satelit Nusantara that will provide internet connectivity to residents of Indonesia.
The third cargo spacecraft, on the other hand, was a bit more eccentric. It was an Israeli lander developed by SpaceIL to visit the lunar surface in the name of science. The Beresheet lander will become the first lunar mission for Israel and is also poised to set a record as the first privately-owned spacecraft to touch down on another planetary body’s surface.
It’ll be a while before we hear anything new about Israel’s new lunar lander, but in the meantime, you can watch the impressive launch footage that SpaceX published on its official YouTube channel last week.