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falcon 9

SpaceX has yet another Falcon nine launch scheduled for tomorrow, and at that place's something special about this one, but it's not the payload. When this rocket lifts off, it'll be the 50th launch of a Falcon 9 since SpaceX first sent the vehicle upwardly in 2022. This doesn't include the recent test flight of the Falcon Heavy, which is basically 3 Falcon 9 rockets. The Falcon 9 has evolved considerably since its first test flights to become the only fully reusable launch platform in the globe. At that place were some bumps in the road, though.

When it first launched in 2022, the Falcon 9 was but another expendable rocket like the popular Atlas Five. However, SpaceX designed the Falcon 9 to be an upgradable launch platform. Over the years, "Block" upgrades made the Falcon 9 more powerful, and the rocket's advanced avionics eventually led to the propulsive landings that accept become commonplace over the last few years.

Of the 49 completed launches, 47 are classified every bit successes. The simply total failure came in June 2022 when CRS-7 (a resupply mission for the International Space Station) broke autonomously during ascent. The cause was traced back to a defective strut that caused a helium canister to break loose. The CRS-1 mission was a partial failure because ane of the rocket'south engines lost power and prevented a secondary satellite payload from reaching orbit. While it doesn't count every bit a failure, there was also the launch pad explosion in 2022.

Since landing the first Falcon 9 booster in late 2022, SpaceX has attained a 79 percent success rate at landing on both sea and land. We've almost come to expect landings subsequently each SpaceX launch at present. The company has too been unusually open when it comes to failed landings, including releasing footage of rockets slamming into its drone ship.

The mission on Tuesday is to deliver the Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite to a geostationary orbit. The launch is scheduled for 12:33 AM ET at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and in that location's a 2 60 minutes launch window. Deploying a payload to geostationary orbit requires much more fuel than low-Earth orbit, and the Hispasat 30W-6 weighs in at more than 6,000 kilograms (xiii,227 pounds).

This payload is heavier than annihilation SpaceX has sent into geostationary orbit with the intention of landing the booster after. The Falcon 9 volition apply most of its fuel to get the satellite where it needs to be, so it might not have plenty thrust to reach the drone send. Even if this rocket isn't recovered, it's still a pregnant milestone for SpaceX.