On Saturday night, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base.
At 7:25 p.m., the rocket took off and was visible for hundreds of kilometers. Twenty-one Starlink satellites, including six with Direct to Cell capabilities, had to be sent into orbit as part of the operation.
The Falcon started its ascent into orbit and made a steady rotation after launching vertically. The reusable booster of the Falcon made a precise landing back on the spaceport drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean after stage separation following liftoff.
This specific Falcon 9 rocket’s first-stage booster had already accomplished six liftoffs. Prior to this, the boosters launched one Starlink mission, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, and Crew-7.
SpaceX’s satellite network, Starlink, is intended to provide affordable internet access to isolated and rural regions.
With more than 6,000 operational satellites circling the Earth at a height of around 342 miles, Starlink can currently boast of successful launches in the past. The business plans to launch these satellites as part of its ambitious plan to create a massive global constellation of broadband satellites.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told Business Insider that his ultimate goal is to build a constellation of up to 42,000 satellites.
As per SpaceX, the Falcon 9 rocket is the first reusable rocket in the orbital class worldwide. The reusable ship can carry passengers and cargo into Earth’s orbit and beyond in a secure manner.
The 32nd Falcon 9 flight of 2024 took place on Saturday night.
The whole Falcon 9 rocket fleet has completed 317 launches, 275 landings, and 248 reflights thus far.