Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly known as SpaceX, successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink mission from the Vandenberg Space Force Base¹. The launch took place on Sunday, January 28, 2024, at 9:02 p.m. PST¹.
This was the second Falcon 9 launch of the night, following the Starlink 6-38 mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center just hours prior¹. The West Coast launch added another 22 Starlink satellites to a constellation that already boasts more than 5,300 satellites on orbit¹.
The Falcon 9 booster, tail number B1075, was on its ninth flight, all of which have launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E)¹. It previously launched the Space Development Agency (SDA) 0A mission, the SARah 2 & 3 satellites, and six prior Starlink missions¹.
Approximately 8.25 minutes after launch, B1075 landed on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’¹. This marked the 81st landing on this droneship and the 268th overall Falcon 9 booster landing¹.
SpaceX has been making significant strides in space exploration. It is the only private company capable of returning a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit². In 2020, SpaceX became the first private company to take humans to the International Space Station².
With these successful missions, SpaceX continues to demonstrate its commitment to making humanity multiplanetary²..
Source:
(1) Live coverage: SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 on Starlink flight from .... https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/01/29/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-falcon-9-on-starlink-flight-from-vandenberg-space-force-base/.
(2) SpaceX - Mission. https://www.spacex.com/mission/index.html.
(3) NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for SPHEREx Astrophysics Mission. https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-launch-services-contract-for-spherex-astrophysics-mission/.
(4) Overview | Mission – NASA SWOT. https://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/.
(5) Falcon 9 launch and landing successful > Vandenberg Space Force Base .... https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1873713/falcon-9-launch-and-landing-successful/.
(6) Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/closeup-of-nasa-building-at-vandenberg-space-force-royalty-free-image/1321530503.