It has been since the launch of Energia-Buran in 1988 that a new semi-reusable launch vehicle has lifted off. Until today:

The Falcon 9 seems to have made it down to *near* the ocean surface. At this time it’s unclear what happened then… with waves a dozen feet high, chances are poor that the stage successfully “landed.” But consider: would an equivalent NASA vehicle have even been launched on a day like today?

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