SpaceX closed out May with another successful launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday afternoon from its West Coast launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The launch took place at 1:10 p.m. PT and included a payload of 27 Starlink satellites headed to low Earth orbit, Spaceflight Now reports.
This was the 16th successful launch of the Falcon 9 and the 25th for its first stage.
The launch vehicle successfully landed on the unmanned ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
This successful landing was the 133rd successful landing of the launch vehicle and the 455th overall for the drone.
Anne Mason, director of national security launches for SpaceX, said there are at least 170 Falcon rocket launches planned this year.
“This highlights how important the reliability and reusability of the Falcon rocket is to ensuring access to space,” Mason told reporters before the afternoon launch.
SpaceX produces a second-stage rocket every 2.5 days to meet high demand for scheduled launches.
Elon Musk's company also plans to acquire Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base to support its ambitious launch schedule.
Sourse: www.upi.com
