SpaceX erects historic 16-story-tall rocket booster outside its Hawthorne headquarters

The rocket booster that sealed SpaceX’s place in history as the company that pioneered reusable spacecraft now stands in testament to the achievement outside its Hawthorne headquarters.

The thin, white, 162-foot tall aluminum-lithium alloy booster was erected over the weekend outside Space Exploration Technologies Corp., welcoming employees and visitors Monday to 1 Rocket Road.

The Falcon 9 is the first booster rocket ever to return to Earth intact for reuse.

“We’re really proud of everything SpaceX has accomplished,” Hawthorne Mayor Alex Vargas said. “The Falcon 9 is a symbol of pride for our city. SpaceX is a hometown success story and we can’t wait to see what they achieve next.”

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