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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a new fleet of Starlink satellites into orbit and landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean late Saturday in what was a record 16th flight for the booster.
the Falcon 9 rocket It topped off with 54 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites lighting up the late night sky when they flew into orbit Saturday (July 15) from Space Force Station Cape Canaveral in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 11:50 PM EST (0350 GMT on July 16th).
SpaceX’s smooth launch came a day late, after an attempted launch early Friday, in which SpaceX had to abort at the last minute due to high liquid oxygen levels on the rocket’s nine first-stage engines, SpaceX components engineer Zachary Lubin said. during the live broadcast. comment.
Related: 8 ways SpaceX has transformed space travel
The Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth for a vertical descent about 8.5 minutes after launch aboard a SpaceX A Shortfall of Gravitas drone.
This was the 16th launch and landing of this rocket, according to A.S SpaceX mission description. This ties the record set last Sunday (July 9) by a different Falcon 9 first stage flying on another Starlink mission. Lubin said the landing also marks SpaceX’s 207th orbital rocket landing and the 247th mission overall.
The Falcon 9 upper stage, which cannot be reused, continued to carry 54 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Deployment of the satellites was expected approximately 66 minutes after liftoff.
This batch of Starlink satellites stands out among the thousands of satellites SpaceX has launched so far because it is the final batch of Starlink v1.5 satellites the company will launch, Lubin said. The company is moving to new V2 Starlink internet satellites, and has already launched mini-V2 versions into orbit.
The Starlink launch is part of a busy few days in spaceflight. On Friday morning (July 14), for example, India launched its Chandrayaan 3 robotic mission, which aims to begin the country’s first soft landing on the moon next month.
And on Sunday evening (July 16), the Rocket Lab Electron launcher will send seven small satellites skyward from the company’s site in New Zealand. Rocket Lab is working on making the Electron first stage reusable, and Sunday’s mission, called “Baby Come Back,” includes the planned recovery of the booster from the Pacific Ocean.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:15 a.m. ET July 16 with the results of the successful launch of the SpaceX Starlink satellite.
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