Watch SpaceX launch its first used Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station

The Verge ------ This evening, SpaceX is set to launch another one of its Falcon 9 rockets from Florida, sending cargo and supplies to the International Space Station for NASA. It’s an otherwise routine launch that will include one of SpaceX’s signature rocket landing attempts afterward. But it wouldn’t be a SpaceX mission if the company didn’t try something completely new: tonight’s launch will be the first time that SpaceX reuses one of its Dragon cargo capsules — one that’s already flown to the station and then landed back on Earth. The Dragon that’s going up on this flight was the same one used for SpaceX’s fourth cargo resupply mission to the station in September 2014. After a nearly month-long stay at the ISS, the Dragon landed with the help of parachutes in the Pacific Ocean. SpaceX then inspected the vehicle and refurbished it to make sure it was ready to fly again. A few components have been swapped out, but the overall structure and the thrusters from the original vehicle are the same, according to Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of flight reliability at SpaceX. One notable upgrade, however, was the addition of a new heat shield, plus the replacement of few outside components that came in contact with sea water when the Dragon splashed down in the ocean. To learn more click on the picture below to read the article.