SpaceX launches same Falcon 9 rocket for ninth flight

SpaceX successfully launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets into space for a record ninth time Sunday, making it the first in the company’s fleet to launch and land nine times. The Falcon 9 rocket was carrying a new cargo of 60 Starlink satellites, which are part of the company’s efforts to provide satellite internet.

The successful launch and landing of this first-stage thruster is remarkable considering SpaceX’s goals when designing the Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 was designed to be able to fly 10 times with little or no change between missions. The company currently has two Falcon 9 booster rockets near the coveted 10 flights, per Space.com, and closely monitors the wear of each rocket at each take-off.

The Falcon 9 rocket the company launched on Sunday also supported the launch of the Crew Dragon Demo-1, the first unmanned test flight of the Dragon spacecraft; the RADARSAT constellation mission or Canada’s new Earth observation satellites; the SXM-7, SirusXM faulty satellite who aimed to support its digital radio service; and five other Starlink missions.

SpaceX sent three lots Starlink satellites in space over the past two weeks, adding 180 satellites to the more than 1,000 it already has up there. It has two more planned Starlink launches in March.

Nevertheless, company officials recently said that 10 may not be the “magic number” and that Falcon 9 rockets could possibly carry out more flights, SpaceNews reported. Once a booster reaches the 10 flight milestone, SpaceX will analyze the booster and assess whether it can “move forward with it”.

As TechCrunch points Rocket reuse is especially important for Starlink missions as SpaceX begins to expand its satellite internet service. Starlink has 10,000 customers at the moment, although SpaceX recently open pre-orders for the service. For a refundable deposit of $ 99, customers receive a Starlink kit which includes a mountable satellite dish, wifi router and power supply. The whole kit costs $ 499 and mOnly the service costs $ 99 per month.

It must be said that it is still not known whether SpaceX will be able to launch enough satellites to cover the areas it needs to cover and provide reliable internet service. The appears on the company is trying, however.