ELON Musk has a launch to remember after the Falcon 9 blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base this early afternoon.
Today’s launch marks a special occasion in the company’s history and symbolizes its amazing progression.
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The launch was SpaceX’s 32nd of 2022 and the company has broken its own record for most launches in one year.
SpaceX has more than 30 launches planned between now and the end of the year, enough to shatter the old company best.
The Falcon 9 ferrying 46 Starlink satellites to space was supposed to take off yesterday but the launch was aborted at T-46 seconds.
The rocket launched this afternoon, successfully separated from its booster, and will deposit the satellites in low Earth orbit just an hour and three minutes after taking off.
The company is creating a new high-water mark for reusability in space travel.
Only two rockets used in launches this year were brand new – the other payloads were delivered with previously flown rockets.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster used in today’s launch has lifted off on three other occasions, including a mission on contract for the German military just one month ago.
Nine minutes after launch, the booster returned to the sea-based landing pad nicknamed Of Course I Still Love You, which SpaceX celebrated in a tweet.
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Even before today’s deposit, Starlink had more than 2,500 satellites in low Earth orbit.
Starlink recently won approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to beam their internet-from-space into moving vehicles and scuttled Dish Network’s request to use a Starlink frequency.
It appears Musk’s relationship with the FCC is much more solid than with other regulatory agencies.
The wifi-constellation is not without conflict as astronomers have pushed against satellites flooding the skies.
Starlink satellites have appeared as streaks in scientific telescope images so frequently that it prompted a study on it, which was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Musk and Starlink rode a wave of admiration after the billionaire fast-tracked the internet terminals to Ukraine at the start of the conflict with Russia.
Musk’s public image fortunes have reversed as blowback for pulling out of his bid to buy Twitter but SpaceX is reliably impressing by averaging more than one launch every week.
