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On Tuesday evening, SpaceX successfully launched another batch of Starlink Internet satellites from the company’s orbiting space, using a highly space-resistant Falcon 9 rocket for the job. This launch marked the rocket’s seventh flight to space and back – the first time SpaceX has put such an experienced vehicle into orbit.
The Falcon 9 took off at 9:13 p.m. ET from SpaceX’s launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, with 60 Starlink satellites in tow. After a quick trip into space, the first stage of the Falcon 9 – the bulk of the vehicle that contains the main engines and most of the fuel – separated from the rest of the rocket and returned to Earth. He then made one of SpaceX’s iconic rocket landings, landing on one of the company’s drones in the Atlantic.
Prior to this flight, the Falcon 9 had propelled two communications satellites into orbit on two separate missions, and SpaceX had also used the vehicle to launch four separate Starlink launches. It wasn’t just the rocket that had flown before. The nose of the rocket, which surrounds the satellites as it climbs into space, has also been used previously for previous flights. Half of the nose – or payload fairing – had sunk once before, while the other half had flown twice before this launch.
Right now, SpaceX has made those launch and landing routines a fairly regular sight outside Florida, with each new mission adding numbers to the company’s CV. Last night’s launch was notable for being the 100th launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9. It also marked the company’s 23rd launch this year and the 67th time SpaceX has picked up one of its Falcon 9 boosters after a launch.
Those numbers are only expected to increase, with more launches planned for this year. And with the successful rocket landing yesterday, an eighth flight may be in the future.
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