A SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from California on Monday sent 64 small satellites into low-Earth orbit, hitting three key milestones in the process.
XElon Musk, Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX founder, has pushed the space industry to embrace reusable rockets to lower launch costs.
The SpaceX launch for Spaceflight Industries out of Vandenberg Air Force Station in Calif. Monday afternoon was Musk's first time launching a booster than had been flown in two prior missions. The booster had been used in missions in May and August earlier this year.
The booster successfully landed on SpaceX's Just Read The Instructions drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.
Falcon 9 first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship—completing this rocket booster's third launch and landing this year. pic.twitter.com/DXqT7KH9sM
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 3, 2018
Largest U.S. Ride-Sharing Mission
Spaceflight Industries bought out Monday's SpaceX launch with 64 satellites from 34 customers from 17 different countries.
The payloads range from the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program Orbital Reflector to Australia's Fleet Space Technologies satellite internet service to an inflatable sculpture from Nevada Museum of Art.
It will take five hours to deploy all the satellites to ensure they don't hit each other during the process.
Last year, India launched 104 small satellites from a single rocket. But this SpaceX launch will be the largest ride-sharing mission for a U.S. rocket.
Spaceflight says is a launch services and mission management provider "offering routine, cost-effective access to space" for a wide variety of customers.
Several Spaceflight customers have confirmed contact with their satellites, including Planet's two SkySat Earth-imaging satellites, the German Aerospace Center's Eu:CROPIS satellite, British smallsat manufacturer SSTL'a KazSTSAT Earth-imaging satellite, and Finnish company ICEYE's X2 radar-imaging satellite.
Small satellites, some even as tiny as three pounds, are gaining popularity vs. larger, more expensive satellites.
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission gave SpaceX the approval to launch 12,000 small satellites for broadband communications.
Record SpaceX Launch Tally
The mission is SpaceX's 19th for the year, up from 18 launches last year, and SpaceX wants to ramp up the pace.
Another SpaceX launch is set for Tuesday, when it will launch its 18th Dragon spacecraft mission and 16th operational cargo mission to the International Space Station.
Then on Dec. 18, SpaceX will launch the Air Force's GPS III satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket. Wrapping up the year, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Iridium next mobile communication system on Dec. 30.
Meanwhile earlier Monday, a Russian Soyuz capsule successfully docked to the International Space Station after a failed attempt to reach orbit in October.
The successful Soyuz launch comes as Boeing (BA) and SpaceX get their space taxis for the ISS ready for NASA service next year.
YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:
Check Out All The Latest Space Industry News
Trump Joins This Partisan Battle Threatening NASA Space Exploration
https://www.investors.com/news/spacex-launch-falcon-9-rocket-three-milestones/Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "SpaceX Launch Is Successful, Hits Three Milestones At Once - Investor's Business Daily"
Post a Comment