{"id":18249,"date":"2018-12-03T22:47:38","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T14:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/third-times-the-charm-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-launches-a-record-64-satellites-for-spaceflight\/"},"modified":"2018-12-03T22:47:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-03T14:47:38","slug":"third-times-the-charm-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-launches-a-record-64-satellites-for-spaceflight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/third-times-the-charm-spacexs-falcon-9-rocket-launches-a-record-64-satellites-for-spaceflight\/","title":{"rendered":"Third time\u2019s the charm: SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket launches a record 64 satellites for Spaceflight"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SpaceX
SpaceX\u2019s first triple-launched Falcon 9 booster lights up to send 64 satellites into space. (SpaceX Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket launched Seattle-based Spaceflight\u2019s first-ever dedicated rideshare mission, a satellite extravaganza aimed at placing 64 spacecraft in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California came off at 10:34 a.m. PT, sending the scorch-marked rocket into clear skies. The mission had been delayed several times over the past couple of weeks, due to concerns about upper-level winds and the need for more pre-launch inspections.<\/p>\n

This mission delivered a first for SpaceX as well as for Spaceflight: It marked the first time SpaceX sent the same first-stage booster into space and back three times.<\/p>\n

The upgraded Block 5 booster had its previous liftoffs in May and August, and today SpaceX recovered the booster yet again. Minutes after launch, it touched down on a drone ship stationed out in the Pacific Ocean, christened \u201cJust Read the Instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n

SpaceX also sent out another ship, called Mr. Steven, to try recovering the rocket\u2019s nose cone in a giant catcher\u2019s-mitt net. Reusing the nose cone, also known as the fairing, could save millions of dollars for each launch.<\/p>\n

In a tweet, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that Mr. Steven missed the catch, but that the ship\u2019s crew recovered the two halves of the fairing from the water. \u201cPlan is to dry them out and launch again,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNothing wrong with a little swim.\u201d<\/p>\n

This mission for Spaceflight, known as \u201cSSO-A: The SmallSat Express,\u201d broke SpaceX\u2019s record of 18 launches in a calendar year \u2014 a record set just last year.<\/p>\n