A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a new fleet of Starlink satellites into orbit and landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean late Saturday in what was a record 16th flight for its thruster.
The Falcon 9 rocket ended with SpaceX’s 54 Starlink internet satellites lighting up the sky late at night when they flew into orbit Saturday (July 15) from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral in Florida. The lift occurred at 23:50 EST (0350 GMT on July 16).
SpaceX’s smooth launch came a day late, after a launch attempt Friday morning, in which SpaceX had to be aborted at the last minute due to high liquid oxygen levels in the first nine rocket engines, said SpaceX components engineer Zachary Lubin. broadcast. comment.
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the final batch of Starlink V1.5 broadband internet satellites on July 16, 2023 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (Image credit: SpaceX)
The first stage Falcon 9 returns to Earth for a vertical descent approximately 8.5 minutes after launch with the SpaceX drone A Shortfall of Gravity.
This was the rocket’s 16th launch and landing, according to the US SpaceX mission description. This ties the record set last Sunday (July 9) by a different first-stage Falcon 9 flying on another Starlink mission. Lubin said the landing also marked SpaceX’s 207th orbital rocket landing and 247th mission overall.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9, which cannot be reused, continues to carry 54 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Deployment of the satellite is expected approximately 66 minutes after liftoff.
This Starlink satellite set stands out among the thousands of satellites SpaceX has launched so far because it is the last batch of Starlink v1.5 satellites the company will launch, said Lubin. The company is moving to the new V2 Starlink internet satellite, and has launched a mini-V2 version into orbit.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands aboard the A Shortfall Of Gravity drone after its record-breaking 16th landing on July 16, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX)
The Starlink launch was part of several busy days in space. On Friday morning (July 14), for example, India launched the robotic mission Chandrayaan 3, which aims to begin the country’s first soft landing on the moon next month.
And on Sunday evening (July 16), the Rocket Lab Electron launcher will send seven small satellites into space from the company’s site in New Zealand. Rocket Lab is working on making Electron’s first stage reusable, and Sunday’s mission, called “Baby Come Back”, includes the planned recovery of a thruster from the Pacific Ocean.
Editors Note: This story was updated at 12:15 a.m. ET July 16 with the results of the successful launch of the SpaceX Starlink satellite.
2023-07-16 13:33:11
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