Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been a success for America and the human race.
SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink satellites to orbit early Friday (Aug. 2), continuing the company’s bounce-back from a July 11 failure.
A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 23 Starlink craft lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday at 1:01 a.m. EDT (0501 GMT).
SpaceX has launched its 74th mission of the year 🚀
✅ The first stage Falcon 9 B1078 landed on the ASOG platform after its 12th flight
✅ 23 Starlink satellites deployed in orbit
✅ Successful launch of the Starlink-10.6 missionThe next company launch is planned for August 3… pic.twitter.com/7FgU1h1RMs
— Ofelia (@OfeliaLamensky) August 2, 2024
The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after launch as planned, landing on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 23 Starlink satellites to orbit on Aug. 2, 2024.
It was the 12th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Nine of those 12 flights have been Starlink missions.
The Falcon 9’s upper stage, meanwhile, hauled the 23 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, deploying them there about 64 minutes after launch, according to SpaceX.
Related: Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a drone ship shortly after launching 23 Starlink satellites to orbit on Aug. 2, 2024.
Friday’s launch was SpaceX’s fourth in less than a week, following a Starlink liftoff on July 27 and two more on July 28. Those three launches broke a two-week drought for the company, which was grounded for a spell after a July 11 Falcon 9 failure.
SpaceX Starlink Satellites 🛰️ Launch 🚀 From Bohn Beach 🏖️ Ormond By The Sea, Florida, 0100.
SpaceX Plans To Launch 144 Rockets 🚀 This Year!🤩#VITEHARRIS pic.twitter.com/92KiHaEM8Z— 🇺🇸 T Bohn 🇩🇪🇮🇪🇯🇴🇺🇦🚀♊️ (@TheTBohn) August 2, 2024
That mishap occurred after a Falcon 9 upper stage sprang a leak of liquid oxygen, preventing the vehicle from performing a planned orbit-raising burn. Twenty Starlink satellites were lost as a result.
SpaceX identified the cause of the leak as a crack in a line for a pressure sensor in the upper stage’s liquid-oxygen system and says it has taken measures to prevent the problem from recurring.
Key Points:
i. SpaceX successfully launched 23 Starlink satellites on August 2, 2024.
ii. The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage landed on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
iii. This launch was the 12th mission for this particular booster, with nine being Starlink missions.
iv. The launch followed three other Starlink missions in the same week.
v. SpaceX implemented fixes after a July 11 failure caused by a liquid-oxygen leak in the upper stage.
Kirk Volo – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
