SpaceX has achieved a new milestone in its quest to reuse rockets and reduce the cost of spaceflight. The company launched 23 Starlink internet satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket that had flown 18 times before, breaking its record for the most flights by a single booster.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, completing the first 19th launch and landing of a booster pic.twitter.com/WoVx0R0Esj
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 23, 2023
First debuted in May 2020
The historic launch occurred from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday (December 23) at 12:33 am EST (0533 GMT). The Falcon 9’s first stage, which debuted in May 2020 on the Demo-2 Crew Dragon mission that carried astronauts for the first time, still bore the faded NASA ‘worm’ logo from that occasion.
The veteran rocket performed flawlessly, delivering the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) about 65.5 minutes after liftoff. The first stage also returned to Earth safely, landing on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean about 8.5 minutes after launch. This was the 19th successful landing for this booster, setting a new benchmark for reusability.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
