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BIG GOAL MET, What’s Next?
May 9–If you were watching the skies around the Space Coast early Sunday morning, you may have viewed SpaceX’s successful launch of a Falcon 9 with the 27th batch of Starlink internet satellites. B1051 (the booster’s serial number and nickname) officially became the first of SpaceX’s boosters to meet the impressive goal of completing 10 flights.
Elon Musk sees reusability as a main pillar supporting SpaceX, versus expensive rocket components used once. Musk hopes to continue driving down launch prices and increasing access to space.
“It means that humanity can become a spacefaring civilization and be out there among the stars,” Elon Musk told reporters after the first successful re-flight in 2017. “This is what we want for the future.”
“I hope that one day ten flights seems like nothing – but today, this is a huge milestone,” Lars Blackmore, principal rocket landing engineer from 2015 to 2018, said via Twitter.
More Launches from the Space Coast of Florida are on the schedule.
A launch is scheduled for May 15, when SpaceX launches the 28th batch of Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A.
On May 17, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Launch Complex 41 will send SBIRS GEO-5. This military communications satellite was built by Lockheed Martin.
Following that launch, on June 3 at LC 39A, a NASA/SpaceX resupply mission (cargo, supplies and science experiments) is scheduled to go to the International Space Station.
As always, launches schedules are subject to change. Find the latest information at floridatoday.com/launchschedule.