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SpaceX confirmed that it had successfully carried out its first

March 13, 2018 by Kenneth Newton

SpaceX confirmed that it had successfully carried out its first orbital launch mission on Tuesday, August 13, and launched to Earth on Wednesday, August 16, after a week of pre-launch preparations and tests.

A few days later, the company's Falcon 9 rocket successfully touched down on the International Space Station. After a 2.1-day stay at the station, it flew over a new runway and landed in the sea off of the North Pole.

The Dragon capsule was successfully deployed to the space station in a ceremony held at the NASA Glenn Research Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Tuesday. The capsule was lifted on by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

SpaceX is a privately-owned manufacturer of rocket boosters and propulsion systems, and is developing commercial commercial launch systems."I'm not going to stand for it," said David Burt, a former Republican state senator who said he was fired from his job in February because of his opposition to a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. "I'm going to stand up for the people of this state."

The issue has drawn national attention.

Last week the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill allowing people to possess up to four plants per person and to possess up to five plants per family, and it will go into effect by 2016. The measure is supported by some Republicans, such as state Rep. Steve Miller, who heads the Texas House Republican Caucus.

Miller, who led a push to legalize recreational marijuana in the state in 2010, said legalization could help stop the spread of criminal gangs, which often work with underage people.

The bill, passed unanimously by the House, has been backed by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, with Miller leading the pack in support, and his supporters in the Senate, including Rep. Dan Webster, a Republican from Corpus Christi, say legalization could save their state money to fight crime.

"I think the thing that is driving this is that it's not a good idea in the state of Texas, it's not a good idea in the state of Texas," said Webster, who also serves on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. "I think the only reason that we're seeing a lot is because of the way law enforcement is looking at it."

It was the first time the House passed a law authorizing recreational marijuana use, the second time after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill allowing medicinal marijuana to be legally made in Texas.