SpaceX is on track to achieve its goal of 100 launches in 2023.
The Falcon 9's first-stage booster, named B1067, has now completed 15 successful launches.
SpaceX has successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, marking another milestone in the company's ambitious space exploration and satellite deployment program. The launch took place at 1:47 a.m., with the Falcon 9 rocket setting off on a south-easterly trajectory, targeting an orbit inclined 43 degrees to the Equator.
The Falcon 9's first-stage booster, named B1067, has now completed 15 successful launches, marking the quickest refurbishment for a 15th flight. After burning its nine Merlin 1D engines for nearly two and a half minutes, the first stage separated from the second stage and continued downrange to land on the drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean.
The mission's primary objective was to deploy 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, joining the thousands of other satellites already in space working to provide global broadband internet coverage. After coasting for about 45 minutes, the second-stage engine re-ignited for a two-second burn to refine the orbit.
This launch is part of a busy schedule for SpaceX, which is on track to achieve its goal of 100 launches in 2023. Other upcoming launches include ExPace's expected launch of an unknown payload on its Kuaizhou 1A rocket, followed by Roscosmos launching a Bars-M payload on a Soyuz 2.1a. These launches will bring the total orbital missions of 2023 to 189, with an expected total of 210 by year's end.
The Falcon 9 set off on a south-easterly trajectory, targeting an orbit inclined 43 degrees to the Equator.
After burning its nine Merlin 1D engines for nearly two and a half minutes, the first stage separated from the second stage and continued downrange to land on the drone ship 'A Shortfall of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean.
After coasting for about 45 minutes, the second-stage engine re-ignited for a two-second burn to refine the orbit.