SpaceX released a satellite for the Australian telecom business Optus on Sunday night (Nov. 17) from Florida's Space Coast.
A Falcon 9 rocket bring the Optus-X satellite took off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sunday at 5:28 p.m. EST (2128 GMT)– ideal around sundown.
The Falcon 9's very first phase went back to Earth about 9 minutes after liftoff as prepared, landing vertically on the SpaceX droneship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” in the Atlantic Ocean.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket releases the Optus-X telecom satellite from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 17, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX through X)
It was the 16th launch and landing for this specific booster, according to a SpaceX objective description. 9 of those flights have actually been committed to constructing out SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Optus-X wasn't headed to LEO, nevertheless; the Falcon 9's upper phase was charged with providing it to geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite will then make its own method to geostationary orbit, which lies 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth.
Another shot of the Optus-X launch, which took place around sundown on Florida's Space Coast. (Image credit: SpaceX by means of X)
Sunday's launch began an extremely hectic three-day stretch for SpaceX. Elon Musk's business prepares to introduce 2 objectives on Monday (Nov. 18)– a Starlink batch and an Indian telecom satellite– and the sixth-ever test flight of its Starship megarocket on Tuesday (Nov. 19).
Editor's note: This story was upgraded at 9:55 p.m. ET on Nov. 17 with news of effective launch and rocket landing.
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Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and signed up with the group in 2010. He mostly covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military area, however has actually been understood to meddle the area art beat. His book about the look for alien life, “Out There,” was released on Nov. 13, 2018. Before ending up being a science author, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science composing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To discover what his newest job is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.
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