ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Takes Off Successfully With a Satellite  

The latest SpaceX rocket to successfully take off was carrying an Argentinian satellite. 

Published
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried an Argentinian Earth-observation satellite into space Sunday and for the first time landed a first-stage booster back at its California launch site.

The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.

SpaceX had previously flown first-stage rockets back to land after Florida launches but had not done so on the West Coast.

The Air Force last week advised residents on the central California coast they might see multiple engine burns by the first stage and hear one or more sonic booms as it returned.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

SpaceX also has successfully landed Falcon 9 first-stage rockets on so-called drone ships off the coasts of Florida and California, all as part of its effort to decrease the cost of space launches by reusing rockets rather than allowing them to fall into the ocean.

The satellite is the first of two for Argentina's space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, and will work in conjunction with a constellation of Italian space agency satellites.

Its name is short for Satelite Argentino de Observacion Con Microondas.

SAOCOM 1A carries a high-resolution instrument called a synthetic aperature radar that will be used for emergency management during disasters and for land monitoring. The second satellite will be SAOCOM 1B.

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
Read More
×
×