SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sets a reuse record.
Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Tuesday at 11:38 p.m. EDT (3:38 a.m. Japan time), carrying 22 SpaceX Starlink Internet satellites into low Earth orbit. Carried towards (LEO).
The rocket’s first stage returned to Earth eight and a half minutes after liftoff, landing on a SpaceX drone ship stationed at sea.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
Officials said the first stage was the Falcon 9’s 17th takeoff and landing. SpaceX mission description. These numbers are unprecedented. The previous mark was 16, held by two different Falcon 9 boosters.
Meanwhile, 22 Starlink satellites deployed from the Falcon 9’s upper stage 62.5 minutes after liftoff, as planned.
Tuesday night’s launch was SpaceX’s 65th orbital mission this year, setting another record. The company’s previous target of 61 was set for 2022.
Most of SpaceX’s launches this year have been dedicated to building the Starlink mega-constellation, which currently consists of: Over 4,700 operational satellites. SpaceX has permission to fly 12,000 Starlink spacecraft and has applied for approval for an additional 30,000, so that number should continue to grow for quite some time.