On Thursday, the Space Coast saw its 12th launch of the year, a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission that took off with internet satellites and returned for a local landing that rattled windows across Central Florida.
12th Launch from Florida’s Space Coast
Following the 2:13 p.m. After launching at 10 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 40, the rocket flew south, skirting between Florida’s east coast and the Bahamas, to carry another batch of 40 satellites to orbit for OneWeb, an internet service provider and competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink. The 162-foot first-stage booster landed near Landing Zone 1 shortly after launch.
Forecasters for the Space Force estimate a 95% possibility of favorable weather conditions for today’s launch attempt.
That will be the 12th launch from Florida’s Space Coast this year, and OneWeb’s third contracted mission with SpaceX. It’s also the 12th time this Falcon 9 first-stage rocket has been used.
Following taking off from pad 40, the Falcon 9 will fly south, skirting the coast of Florida. The rocket’s first-stage booster will then somersault in preparation for a landing attempt at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. Locals should expect sonic booms when the ship returns.
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Touchdown Confirmed
The first-stage Falcon 9 booster has successfully landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 1.
A Falcon 9 rocket launched out from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Pad 40, carrying 40 broadband satellites for OneWeb.SpaceX has given the go-ahead to begin fuelling procedures ahead of today’s liftoff at 2:13 p.m. ET.
The OneWeb 17 mission on Thursday marked the third time a Falcon 9 launched satellites for OneWeb. According to a tweet from the company’s Twitter account, this was also the “penultimate expedition before reaching worldwide coverage.”
Prior to March of last year, the company had a deal with the Russian space agency to use Soyuz rockets to put Merritt Island-built satellites into orbit. The alliance collapsed as a result of the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With India’s space agency, the last launch of OneWeb’s first-generation satellites is slated for later this spring. This should complete OneWeb’s 600-satellite network. The business then intends to give worldwide internet service capabilities to heavy customers, such as telecom providers, aviation and maritime companies, and governments.
The next launch from the Space Coast will be the second attempt at Relativity Space’s first mission, “Good Luck, Have Fun.” After an aborted initial attempt on March 8, the business aims to launch its 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral. The three-hour launch window will open on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m.
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