Hawthorne-based SpaceX successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Friday afternoon, at 6:35 p.m., in the Falcon 9’s 22nd mission to space. The launch is meant to deliver the SES-9 commercial communications satellite for SES, a global satellite company, to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
Advertisement
But the space company will tonight try for a fifth time to send the SES-9 satellite up in its Falcon 9 rocket.
Musk, 44, tweeted soon after the Falcon 9 launched its SES-9 satellite cargo from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and landed hard on the robotic barge after it returned back to Earth. Shortly after liftoff, the first stage of the rocket will automatically attempt a landing on a so-called “drone ship” at sea, which SpaceX has named “Of Course I Still Love You”.
The fourth attempt to launch was scrubbed early on Tuesday afternoon, March 1, long before fueling of the rocket began, due to the threat of risky high altitude winds that could result in destruction of the rocket. Musk says the chances are good for the mission to see a successful landing, but has yet to confirm if it will be on land or sea.
But on Friday, SpaceX employees and onlookers cheered as the Falcon 9 rocket hurtled toward the sky without issue. “Co-located with SES-7, the new satellite will reach 22 million TV homes and is created to deliver high-performing connectivity to homes, enterprises and institutions across Asia”.
The satellite, called SES-9, should soon boost communications coverage over Asia.
Advertisement
It was SpaceX’s first mission for SES and the first of three launched planned for the company in 2016, provided they are able to reduce more frequently and cut back on the number of delays, the newspaper added. The rocket’s second stage then made another burn before shutting down and coasting until the spacecraft was in the correct position. Landing on a floating drone ship on the ocean however, requires less fuel and the technique is suitable for space missions that require the vehicle to travel at very high speeds. This will be flown initially in an unmanned configuration in the first instance, with astronauts set to take their first ride to the International Space Station next year.
