A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for a 22-year record on Sunday night (Aug. 11), sending two satellites into the air that will provide high-speed policy in the Arctic region.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the two spacecraft of the Arctic Broadband Satellite Mission (ASBM) lifted off on Sunday at 10:02 p. m. from the base of the Vandenberg area in California. EDT (7:02 p. m. California local time; 02:02 GMT on August 12).
The Falcon 9 passed through a blanket of coastal fog (something not unusual for launches from Vandenberg) as it soared into an increasingly dark night sky.
The Falcon 9’s first level returned to Earth about 8. 5 minutes after launch as planned, landing on the SpaceX Of Course I Still Love You drone, stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
This is the 22nd launch and landing of this specific booster, according to a description from the SpaceX project. That tied the company’s rocket reusability record, set last June with the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink web satellites.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 level continued to launch ASBM satellites into orbit. It was deployed the first 42. 5 minutes after takeoff and the second five minutes later.
Related: Ways SpaceX Transformed Spaceflight
The ASBM “is designed to expand broadband policy in the Arctic region for the United States Space Force and Space Norway,” according to aeronautical giant Northrop Grumman, which built the mission’s two satellites. (Space Norway is a state-owned company that develops and manages strategic infrastructure for the country).
The ASBM satellites, which will operate in a highly elliptical orbit to succeed in their political sphere, bring several instruments, “including military payloads for the US and Norwegian armed forces, as well as an advertising payload for Viasat and a radiation monitor for Europe”. “Project,” Northrop Grumman wrote in the project description.
Sunday’s launch is part of a busy weekend for SpaceX. On Saturday morning (Aug. 10), the company unveiled 21 Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida. SpaceX attempted to release another batch of Starlink on Sunday morning from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, which is also on Florida’s Space Coast, but abandoned that attempt with 46 seconds left in the countdown.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 10:54 p. m. And on August 11 with news of a successful launch, rocket landing and satellite deployment.
Join our forums to continue talking about the newest missions, the night sky, and more! And if you have any tips, corrections or comments, please let us know at: community@. com.
Michael Wall is a Senior Space Editor at Space. com and joined the team in 2010. It mainly covers exoplanets, spaceflight, and military space, but is known for dabbling in the field of space art. His book about the search for extraterrestrial life, “Out There,” was published on November 13, 2018. Prior to becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He holds a Ph. D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a B. A. from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in clinical writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his most recent assignment is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.
The SpaceX Polaris Dawn team lands at launch ahead of the first personal spacewalk project (photos, video)
Paraastronaut John McFall hopes to see disabled ISS astronaut fly until 2030 (exclusive video)
Europe’s JUICE Jupiter probe circles the Moon in historic flyby (photos)
Space is from Future US Inc, a foreign media organization and leading virtual publisher. Visit our corporate site.