SpaceX gearing up for historic 20th Falcon 9 launch
Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is gearing up to make history with the 20th launch of its Falcon 9 booster, the Booster 1062, today (April 12). The booster first took flight in November 2020, and will launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40). The mission aims to deploy 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Live broadcast of Falcon 9's historic flight
The live broadcast of this milestone flight will commence on X at 9:17pm ET (6:47am IST, April 13), just five minutes prior to the scheduled launch. Viewers can anticipate witnessing the Falcon 9 rocket ascend into the sky for an unprecedented 20th time, observe the stage separation, and watch the deployment of SpaceX's internet satellites. The webcast will also showcase the first-stage booster landing vertically on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately eight minutes after launch.
Booster 1062's remarkable track record
Booster 1062 last took flight on March 16, and holds a record for the quickest turnaround time of just 21 days after a flight on April 8, 2022. This rocket has successfully launched various missions including GPS III Space Vehicle 04 and 05, Nilesat 301, the crewed Inspiration4 and Ax-1, OneWeb Launch 17, ARABSAT BADR-8, and twelve Starlink missions. Its impressive track record underscores its reliability in spaceflight operations.
SpaceX's reusability revolutionizes spaceflight economics
SpaceX's innovative practice of reusing first-stage boosters, Crew Dragon and Dragon spacecrafts, and rocket fairings has significantly reduced spaceflight costs. This cost efficiency has not only increased flight frequency, but also expanded space access for numerous organizations. The company's approach is revolutionizing the economics of space travel, making it more accessible to a wider range of entities.