SpaceX launches same Falcon 9 rocket for the 10th time
Transporter-3 mission is SpaceX’s third dedicated rideshare mission
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SpaceX has successfully launched a refurbished Falcon 9 rocket for the 10th time.
The lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida took place at around 10.30am local time, delivering its Transporter-3 into orbit.
The Falcon 9 rocket had previously been used to launch Crew Demo-2, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and five Starlink missions.
The Transporter-3 mission is the third dedicated rideshare mission, carrying up 105 satellites and other space craft for commercial and government customers.
Shortly after lift off, the Falcon 9 separated from the nose cone and headed back to land at the Florida launch site, marking the 102nd recovery of a stage 1 booster for Elon Musk’s private space firm.
It was SpaceX’s second launch of 2022, having broken its own launch record in 2021 for the number of orbital launches in a calendar year.
Dozens more SpaceX launches are expected in 2022, including the first orbital test of its Mars-bound Starship space craft from its Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
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