SpaceX records 300th Falcon 9 booster landing after Friday night launch from Cape Canaveral
When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket first-stage booster returned to Earth's atmosphere Friday night and settled atop the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, it marked the 300th booster landing for the company's workhorse Falcon 9 program.
After four delays totaling just shy of two hours Friday night, SpaceX launched the rocket on the landmark Starlink 10-1 mission at 9:56 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
"Falcon 9 lands for the 300th time," SpaceX officials said in a 10:06 p.m. tweet that featured a 19-second video clip of the booster's fiery drone ship landing.
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The Falcon 9 soared along a northeasterly trajectory before deploying a batch of 22 Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Originally scheduled for an 8 p.m. liftoff, Friday's mission was menaced by stormy weather and towering clouds that swept across Central Brevard before blowing out over the ocean — making for a scenic sunset. The Space Force's 45th Weather Squadron had warned of threats from anvil clouds, cumulus clouds and surface electric fields.
In late April, SpaceX landed its 300th booster in its entire Falcon program during the Starlink 6-53 mission when the rocket's first stage touched down atop the drone ship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.
Friday's SpaceX launch capped a busy week of high-profile rocket liftoffs:
Tuesday: SpaceX launched Starlink 10-1 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Wednesday: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V sent up Boeing's Starliner capsule from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Thursday: SpaceX launched its fourth Starship test flight from Boca Chica, Texas.
Friday's Starlink mission marked that first-stage booster's 16th flight, SpaceX reported. The booster previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 11 Starlink missions.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX records 300th Falcon 9 booster landing after Friday launch
