November 5, 2024

Brighton Journal

Complete News World

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches for 22nd time, tying record

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches for 22nd time, tying record

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasted off Sunday evening (August 11) for the 22nd consecutive time, carrying two satellites that will provide broadband coverage in the Arctic region.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying two spacecraft for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) lifted off from Vandenberg Space Base in California at 10:02 p.m. EDT (7:02 p.m. California local time; 0202 GMT on Aug. 12) on Sunday.

The Falcon 9 spacecraft broke through a blanket of coastal fog — a common occurrence during launches from Vandenberg — as it soared into the dark evening sky.

On the left, the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lands on a ship at sea shortly after the two-spacecraft Arctic Broadband Satellite Mission launches from Vandenberg Spaceport in California on Aug. 11, 2024. On the right, the view from the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the satellites into their designated orbit. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth about 8.5 minutes after launch as planned, landing on SpaceX’s Of Course I Still Love You drone ship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean.