In a remarkable feat, SpaceX successfully launched its 175th Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday evening, carrying 23 Starlink satellites onboard. This milestone mission underscores SpaceX’s dominance in the space industry.
The Starlink 6-46 mission took off at 7:42 p.m. EDT (2342 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40), marking the 20th launch from Florida in 2024 alone.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this mission, identified as tail number B1078 in SpaceX’s fleet, made its eighth journey into space. Previously, it had powered notable missions including NASA’s Crew-6, SES’ O3b mPOWER 3 & 4 satellites, USSF-124, and four Starlink flights.
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Approximately eight-and-a-half minutes post-liftoff, the B1078 booster safely landed on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas,’ marking the 62nd successful landing on ASOG and the 228th booster landing overall.
Following liftoff, spectators were treated to a mesmerizing view of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as it shed its payload fairings from the upper stage. The post-sunset launch created a stunning ‘jellyfish effect’ as the plume was illuminated by the setting sun.
According to Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is set to expand to 5,680 satellites in orbit, with over 6,000 satellites launched to date.
In addition to the Starlink mission, SpaceX also conducted a static fire test of Ship 29, the upper stage vehicle destined for the fourth integrated flight test (IFT-4) of its Starship rocket earlier in the day in Texas.
SpaceX continues to push boundaries in space exploration, further solidifying its position as a leader in the aerospace industry.
Data Source : spaceflightnow