A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for an unprecedented fifteenth time on Saturday (Dec. 17), extending the corporate’s reusability file.
A Falcon 9 topped with 54 of SpaceX’s Starlink web satellites lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle in Florida Saturday at 4:32 p.m. ET (2132 GMT).
The rocket’s first stage got here again to Earth just below 9 minutes later, touchdown on a SpaceX robotic droneship, which was stationed within the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast.
“Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Simply Learn the Directions droneship, finishing the fifteenth launch and touchdown of this booster!” SpaceX tweeted (opens in new tab) simply after the landing.
Associated: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite megaconstellation launches in photos
The rocket’s higher stage continued hauling the 54 Starlink craft to low Earth orbit, deploying all of them about 15.5 minutes after launch as deliberate, SpaceX confirmed via Twitter (opens in new tab).
Starlink is SpaceX’s enormous and ever-growing constellation of broadband satellites, which beam web service to folks all over the world.
The corporate has already launched greater than 3,500 Starlink spacecraft thus far and intends to loft many extra. SpaceX utilized for permission from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deploy practically 30,000 of its next-generation Starlink 2.0 satellites, which the corporate goals to loft primarily utilizing its Starship deep-space transportation system. The FAA not too long ago granted approval for 7,500 of those spacecraft however is reserving judgment on the remainder.
Saturday’s launch was the third in two days for SpaceX. On Friday (Dec. 16), a Falcon 9 launched the SWOT water-watching satellite for NASA from California’s Vandenberg Area Drive Base, and one other lofted two satellites for European telecom company SES from Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station in Florida.
Editor’s observe: This story was up to date at 5:05 p.m. EST on Dec. 17 with information of the profitable launch and satellite tv for pc deployment.
Mike Wall is the writer of “Out There (opens in new tab)” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a guide in regards to the seek for alien life. Comply with him on Twitter @michaeldwall (opens in new tab). Comply with us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) or Facebook (opens in new tab).
