Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully ‘reflights’ its Falcon 9 ‘Block 5’ rocket | City A.M.

Elon Musk’s aerospace company Space X has successfully launched one of newest Falcon 9 rockets back into space for the second time, in the early hours of the morning US time.

The Falcon 9 ‘Block 5’ rocket is designed to be able to go into space and return 100 times, while heat shields and other items can be reused more than 10 times before replacement.

This would allow more frequent launches at lower cost – a key to billionaire Musk’s business model.

You can watch take-off on the video below, as well as a livestream of the mission, taking Indonesian satellite Merah Putih into space.

If the SpaceX robotic drone successfully collects the rocket off the Florida coast as planned, it will be the first Block 5 to manage a repeat lift-off following a previous trip in May.

The next major focus for the firm is to reduce the preparation time and cost required between the relaunch of rockets, as Musk hopes to eventually target accessible space travel, including trips to Mars.