SpaceX set a new rocket reuse record on Friday, November 3rd. The Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 SpaceX Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9:37 p.m. EDT. It was the 18th mission for this Falcon 9’s first stage, according to SpaceX’s mission description.
According to the Space.comthe Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth for a vertical landing approximately 8.5 minutes after launch, on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” which was positioned in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundred miles off the coast of Florida. Meanwhile, Falcon 9’s upper stage continued carrying Starlink’s 23 satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). The satellites were deployed there about 65.5 minutes after launch.
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SpaceX, under the leadership of its billionaire founder and CEO Elon Musk, has always prioritized the reuse of spaceflight hardware, considering it a fundamental advancement that will enable the colonization of Mars and other ambitious exploration feats.
The company therefore continues to set new reuse records. The Falcon 9’s previous record of 17 flights was set on September 19 and equaled just four days later.
Many of these Falcon 9 missions have been dedicated to expanding Starlink, SpaceX’s broadband megaconstellation in LEO that currently consists of nearly 5,000 operational satellites. The Falcon 9 that flew on Friday night, for example, had already participated in 12 Starlink missions, according to SpaceX’s mission description.
2023-11-04 02:39:00
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