Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests

The Falcon 9 first-stage landing tests are a series of controlled-descent flight tests that have been conducted by SpaceX since 2013. The program's objective is to reliably execute controlled re-entry, descent and landing (EDL) of the Falcon 9 first stage into Earth's atmosphere after the stage completes the boost phase of an orbital spaceflight. The first tests aimed to touch down vertically in the ocean at zero velocity. Later tests attempted to land the rocket precisely on an autonomous spaceport drone ship (a barge commissioned by SpaceX to provide a stable landing surface at sea) or on terra firma on a ground pad at Cape Canaveral.

The first test occurred in September 2013 on the sixth flight of a Falcon 9 and maiden launch of the v1.1 rocket version. As of 19 February 2017^[update], eighteen test flights have been conducted, eight of which achieved a soft landing and recovery of the booster:

The first-stage descent tests are a part of the larger SpaceX reusable launch system development program, which included a large amount of new technology development activities and earlier low-altitude test flights at the SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas in preparation for the high-altitude high-velocity testing of landing test phase of the program. The overall objective of the program is to privately develop reusable rockets using vertical-landing technology so as to substantially reduce the cost of space access.

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