--- title: "SpaceX Just Reused a Single Booster for the 6th Time" description: "SpaceX just beat its own record by reusing a single Falcon first stage called B1049.6 for the sixth time after launching from Cape Canaveral this morning." date: "2020-08-18" modified: "2020-08-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-just-reused-a-single-booster-6th-time" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "falcon 9" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Just Reused a Single Booster for the 6th Time ![SpaceX just beat its own record by reusing a single Falcon first stage called B1049.6 for the sixth time after launching from Cape Canaveral this morning.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Sixth Time's the Charm SpaceX just beat its own record by reusing a single Falcon first stage for the sixth time. The rocket was part of the company's 11th Starlink mission, carrying 58 internet-beaming satellites, as well as three SkySats for private Earth imaging company Planet, into orbit. It took off at exactly 10:31 ET from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Then the veteran first stage, called B1049.6, effortlessly plunged back towards the Earth and aced its landing on the drone ship called "Of Course I Still Love You" in the Atlantic. https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1295732417450217472 ## Breaking Records It's a major milestone. The previous record, also held by SpaceX, was when the company managed to reuse the same rocket [for the fifth time in March](). Today's successful launch lines up the booster for a future potentially record-beating seventh launch. The launch also reused a since-refurbished fairing, which was recovered during SpaceX's fourth Starlink mission. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX successfully launches 11th Starlink mission using record-setting reused Falcon 9 booster]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on SpaceX:** *[SpaceX Tests Highest Pressure Rocket Engine In History]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()