SpaceX has launched a Falcon 9 rocket on its record-setting 20th mission

SpaceX tied the record for rocket reuse on Saturday night (April 27).

It's the 20th launch of the Falcon 9 first stage, according to NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 8:34 PM EDT (0034 GMT April 28).

This was the 20th launch of the Falcon 9 first stage, according to the A SpaceX mission description. This tied the mark set earlier this month by a different Falcon 9 booster, when launching SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites.

Related: 8 ways SpaceX changed spaceflight

This launch adds to the Galileo constellation, the European equivalent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the United States. Twenty-eight Galileo satellites have been launched so far, all aboard Russian-made Soyuz rockets or the European Ariane 5 rocket.

But Ariane 5 retired last summer without a ready successor, and Europe cut most of its space ties with Russia after the latter's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. So, late last year, the European Space Agency signed a deal with SpaceX to launch the rocket. to four Galileo spacecraft during two launches in 2024. Saturday's mission is supposed to be the first of those launches.

The Galileo satellites are in medium Earth orbit, 14,430 miles (23,222 kilometers) above our planet, meaning there was no rocket landing tonight — a rarity these days for a SpaceX flight.

“Given the additional performance required to deliver the payload to medium Earth orbit, this mission marks the 20th and final launch of the Falcon 9 first stage booster,” SpaceX wrote in the mission description.

In contrast, the Falcon 9 stage, which already has 20 launches under its belt, landed safely after its record flight on April 12. Starlink satellites fly in low Earth orbit, so the rocket had enough fuel to return to Earth.

Saturday's launch kicked off a busy weekend for SpaceX; The company also plans to launch another batch of Starlink on Sunday evening (April 28) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, adjacent to KSC.

And the weekend is part of a very busy year. SpaceX has already launched 41 orbital missions in 2024, 28 of which are dedicated to building the massive Starlink constellation.

Prunella Stephenson

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