SpaceX has reused rockets since December 2015, with one Falcon 9 booster completing 20 launches under its belt.
SpaceX made history with the ninth launch and landing of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites on April 23, 2024.
The launch took place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 GMT) and deployed the satellites about 65 minutes after liftoff.
This marked the ninth reuse of this particular booster and the 300th touchdown overall for a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy first stage.
This was the 41st launch of the year for SpaceX and the 28th dedicated to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of nearly 5,800 operational satellites in low Earth orbit.
SpaceX made history on April 23, 2024, with the successful launch and landing of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites. This marked the ninth launch and landing for this particular booster and the 300th touchdown overall for a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy first stage.
The milestone launch took place from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 GMT). The rocket's upper stage continued carrying the satellites to low Earth orbit, deploying them about 65 minutes after liftoff as planned.
SpaceX first landed an orbital rocket in December 2015, and reuse is now a routine practice for the company. One of its Falcon 9 boosters has even completed 20 launches under its belt.
This launch was the 41st of the year for SpaceX and the 28th dedicated to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, which currently consists of nearly 5,800 operational satellites in low Earth orbit. The company's success with rocket reuse has been a game-changer in spaceflight.
The launch was not without competition as Rocket Lab Electron also launched two satellites from New Zealand earlier that day at 6:33 p.m. EDT (2233 GMT).
SpaceX is setting up for the 30th launch on the Space Coast this year.
The target is an evening liftoff Tuesday that would see the 300th booster recovery if successful.
This particular booster is flying for the ninth time including one human spaceflight, Crew-6, and SpaceX will attempt its recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first-stage booster will set a milestone for the company marking the 300th time a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy booster has made a recovery landing, and the 270th time SpaceX has reflown a booster.
This particular booster is flying for the ninth time including one human spaceflight, Crew-6.
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The article contains several instances of amplification and appeals to authority. The author repeatedly emphasizes the significance of SpaceX's milestone with phrases like 'marking the 300th time a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy booster has made a recovery landing,' and 'the 270th time SpaceX has reflown a booster.' These statements amplify the importance of the event without providing any additional information or context. Additionally, there are several appeals to authority in the form of statistics and records mentioned in the article, such as 'SpaceX has been responsible for all but two of the launches this year,' and 'the current record holder for flights flew 11 days ago making its 20th trip off the launch pad.' These statements establish credibility by citing authoritative sources, but they do not necessarily provide any new or significant information. However, since there are no explicit fallacies identified in the article, such as false dichotomies or invalid arguments, the score remains high.
]SpaceX is set to send up the 30th launch on the Space Coast this year targeting an evening liftoff Tuesday that would see the 300th booster recovery if successful.[
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites is aiming to launch at 6:17 p.m. at the opening of a four-hour window Tuesday that runs from 6:15-10:15 p.m.
SpaceX could knock out more launches before the end of the month putting the Space Coast on pace to hit more 90 by the end of the year, but the rate of launches by SpaceX is also set to pick up for the remainder of the year with some turnaround times at Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 coming in less than three days.
The current record holder for flights flew 11 days ago making its 20th trip off the launch pad.
