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Keeping up with its rapid launch cadence in 2024, SpaceX launched yet another mission earlier today from Florida as part of a busy weekend with a Starlink launch due for tomorrow. Today's launch was a rare one for SpaceX since it saw the firm not only fly a Falcon 9 rocket booster for the 20th time but also discard the rocket due to mission requirements.
The Falcon 9 uses nine Merlin 1D engines to generate thrust, and missions that fly higher, faster or further downrange than typical missions sometimes see the rocket use all of its fuel to meet the added requirements. Today's launch was targeted to a medium earth orbit, and at stage separation, the Falcon 9 was flying higher than its altitude in a recent Starlink launch to low earth orbit.
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Today's mission marked SpaceX's 42nd mission for the year, and it came more than a year after the firm crashed a rocket into the ocean. SpaceX's Falcon 9 is the world's most reused rocket, and rapid turnaround times, coupled with robust refurbishment, have ensured a steady stream of quick flights that can take place quicker than it would have been the case had SpaceX chosen to make a new rocket for each mission.
Before meeting its end, the rocket launched 20 missions, most of which were for SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet constellation. SpaceX chose to celebrate the rocket before its lift off, outlining that this booster had delivered 228 metric tons to space.
Apart from the 13 Starlink launches, other missions for the rocket include a ride share mission and a lunar lander for Intuitive Machines. As if this wasn't enough, the Falcon 9 booster for the Galileo L12 mission for the European Commission also broke the "world
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