SpaceX just successfully launched another satellite into space
SpaceX
SpaceX has been setting the bar high for private spaceflight companies, and tonight they raised it even higher.
For the second time, they have succesfully landed their rocket on a droneship in the ocean. Check it out:
At exactly 1:21 a.m. ET, a Falcon 9 rocket launched out of SpaceX's launch site at Cape Canaveral, Florida into space, carrying with it the Japanese telecommunications satellite JCSAT-14.
Because of the extremely high orbit the rocket was launching to this time around, SpaceX didn't anticipate a safe landing for the rocket. It was traveling at twice the speed of the Falcon 9 they landed on April 8 - the first time they made history and stuck the landing on a ship in the middle of the ocean!
Here's Musk's anticipatory tweet:
Rocket reentry is a lot faster and hotter than last time, so odds of making it are maybe even, but we should learn a lot either way
This was their fourth launch this year, and right now their track record is four for four.
SpaceX's main mission is to transport the JCSAT-14 satellite into orbit about 25,000 miles above sea level. The satellite will join satellite operator Sky Perfect JSAT's existing fleet of satellites and deliver high definition TV and emergency communications services to folks in the Asia-Pacific region.
Here's a shot of rocket's path as it launches from Earth:
2nd stage continuing nominally. pic.twitter.com/Gkz0OIGnGZ
This is the third time in history that SpaceX successfully land one of their rockets and the second time they landed successfully on their ocean platform. It's a huge step towards SpaceX's goal of drastically lowering the cost of spaceflight with reusable rockets, giving them the opportunity to prove once again that they can make it work.
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