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CAP CANAVERAL, Fla .– A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a new batch of 60 Starlink Internet satellites into orbit early Sunday, March 14, and nailed its landing at sea to cap off a record-breaking mission.
The veteran Falcon 9 rocket is the first in SpaceX’s fleet to launch and land nine times. The double-decker launcher lifted off from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center here in Florida at 6:01 a.m. EDT (1101 GMT).
About nine minutes later, the first stage of the reusable rocket returned to Earth to attempt its ninth landing on SpaceX’s “Of course, I still love you” drone stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The flight is coming just a few days after the company’s last launch, where another Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from nearby Space Launch Complex 40, at the Cape Canaveral Space Station. Both missions put a full stack of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit, helping SpaceX get ever closer to its original constellation of 1,440 satellites.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation launches in photos
It was a crystal-clear Florida night as flames from the Falcon lit up the night sky. Forecasters from 45 Weather Squadron predicted ideal conditions for the launch, with the only weather concerns being the potential for cumulus clouds.
There was no cloud in the sky, as spectators were treated to an incredible view of the rocket going into orbit.
The pre-dawn sky creates trippy atmospheric effects and this launch did not disappoint. Below the horizon, the sun illuminated the rocket plume creating a dazzling space jellyfish in the sky. This type of phenomenon only occurs at dawn and dusk.
These launches are often confused with UFOs due to the strange wavy clouds product. (Spoiler alert: they certainly aren’t aliens.)
Related: What is it in the sky? It’s a SpaceX rocket, but it sure doesn’t look like it
Record theft
The booster, B1051, is one of two in SpaceX’s reusable rocket stable that has more than seven flights to its name. The veteran pilot flew for the first time in March 2019, lofting an unequipped Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a demonstration mission.
Following this first mission, the B1051 traveled across the country to launch a trio of Earth observation satellites for Canada SpaceX facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The booster then flew a total of five times from Florida in 2020, carrying five different Starlink missions and a broadband satellite for Sirius XM.
Sunday’s mission marks the eighth flight overall for SpaceX in 2021, and the second flight this year for this particular booster. After his last flight, January 20, SpaceX engineers were able to spin it around the booster and prepare for a historic ninth flight in just 53 days – the second fastest turnaround time for this particular booster. (The record was between flights 7 and 8, which took off just 38 days apart.)
B1051’s counterpart, the B1049, has flown eight times, with its last flight taking off on March 4, following several delays due to weather conditions and the need for more pre-launch checks. SpaceX designed its Falcon 9 rocket to fly up to 10 times with little to no renovations needed between flights. As these two thrusters approach that 10-flight milestone, the company is closely monitoring the wear and tear that each experiences during the flight.
Having a fleet of proven rockets in flight allows SpaceX to keep up with its rapid launch pace. However, company officials pointed out that while booster recovery is a bonus, the main goal is to deliver the payload the rocket carries into space.
Each recovery attempt and the subsequent post-flight inspection process teach SpaceX more and more about the degree of wear after a launch. The company uses this information to improve and streamline its recovery process.
When its improved version of Falcon 9 debuted in 2018, the company said it expects each Falcon 9 first stage to be able to fly about 10 times with little to no renovations in between, and up to 100 times before retirement.
Now the company says the number 10 may be more of a guideline than a hard limit. With the B1051 ready for its ninth flight, it’s entirely possible to see at least one, if not multiple boosters, reach that 10-flight milestone.
On Thursday March 4, the other leader of SpaceX’s fleet, the B1049, took off for its 8th flight. The booster is back in port, awaiting transport to SpaceX facilities for post-flight inspections and will be ready to fly again.
SpaceX recently lost one of his boosters in February, after failing to land on the drone. The incident ended a 24-booster recovery streak the company had set in 2020, after losing two more boosters in back-to-back crashes.
The loss was attributed to an engine shutdown during the flight, which prevented the vehicle from nailing its intended landing point. SpaceX said the shutdown occurred after parts of the engine leaked hot gas, which was not supposed to.
Falcon 9 is designed to carry out its mission even if one of its engines stops during flight. However, engineers are hopeful that potential software updates can help the vehicle land if such an anomaly occurs.
The constellation is growing
With the success of tonight’s launch, SpaceX has put more than 1,300 Starlink satellites into orbit, some of which are no longer operational. And there are many more launches to come as SpaceX’s initial Starlink constellation will be made up of 1,440 satellites. However, the company has sought approval from tens of thousands more.
The company launched its massive constellation, with one major goal: to connect the globe. To this end, SpaceX has designed a fleet of flat-panel broadband satellites that will fly over the Earth, providing users around the world with Internet coverage. Especially those in rural and remote areas which otherwise would not have connectivity.
SpaceX previously announced that it had given 40 families in Wise County, Virginia, a user terminal to access its Starlink Internet service. The company has extended this to two different counties in North Carolina – Swain County in the west of the state and Hide County on the east coast.
Residents of these two counties cannot connect to traditional internet services depending on the geography of their respective locations. Neither country has broadband infrastructure or reliable cellular services, so going to school during the pandemic has been a challenge. During the launch broadcast, SpaceX revealed that it will help students in those regions with broadband service.
Currently, Starlink is still in beta testing as SpaceX works to fulfill its initial constellation. Users in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and now New Zealand can access the service. SpaceX is taking preorders for when it will deploy full commercial services later this year.
Drop fairings
GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief, the two ships equipped with SpaceX nets are sidelined for this mission. In their place, SpaceX has deployed two of its dragon hunters: GO Searcher and GO Navigator.
The pair are typically deployed to retrieve the Dragon Capsules out of the water, but serve as a backup for the Fairing Receiver Twins and have been the primary means of retrieving the Fairing in later missions.
Both fairings from this mission have already flown the Transporter-1 mission in January, and hopefully they’ll be back soon. The success of any recovery attempt is usually announced approximately 45 minutes after take-off.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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