SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket For Record Ninth Time

The booster successfully landed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Record-Breaking Launch

SpaceX successfully launched their Falcon 9 rocket for a record ninth time in the early morning hours of Sunday.

Using the booster, the company sent 60 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit on March 14 from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to Space.com.  

The rocket later returned to Earth and landed on the company’s Of Course I Still Love You drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission marked SpaceX’s ninth launch using the booster — a record-setting number for the company. 

Launch Blitz

The mission came right on the heels of the company’s last launch, which occurred mere days before. That mission also took 60 additional Starlink satellites into orbit. 

SpaceX’s goal is to get 1,440 satellites into orbit by the end of 2021. Now with the latest launch, they have more than 1,000 satellites in orbit — putting them well on track to reach their goal. 

You can see the fruits of their labor in the video from SpaceX below:

Clean Landing

It’s been a busy few weeks for the aerospace company. Not only did they successfully launch the Falcon 9 rocket three times in March (so far), but they saw the first flight of their Starship prototype rocket. 

That one didn’t end up quite as well, though, having exploded within minutes of landing. 

Cool, fiery explosions aside, it’s shaping up to be a banner year for the private space company. Once it gets its entire fleet of satellites up and running, they’ll be able to provide high-speed Internet access to underserved communities around the world. 

READ MORE: SpaceX just launched a Falcon 9 rocket on a record 9th flight and stuck the landing [Space.com]

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