Watch highlights of SpaceX’s 60th rocket launch of 2022 - Digital Trends

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By Trevor Mogg December 28, 2022 5:10PM

SpaceX launched its 60th ngo of the twelvemonth connected Wednesday, and it’s not done yet.

The California-based commercialized spaceflight institution launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 54 Starlink net satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) astatine Cape Canaveral successful Florida astatine 4:34 a.m. ET connected Wednesday, December 28.

As usual, SpaceX livestreamed the aboriginal stages of the mission. Here’s the Falcon 9 rocket lighting up Florida’s nighttime entity arsenic it leaves the launchpad:

Several minutes later, the rocket jettisoned the first-stage booster, which made its mode backmost to Earth.

About 8 minutes aft launch, the first-stage booster made a cleanable landing connected a SpaceX droneship stationed successful the Atlantic Ocean. The booster volition present beryllium brought backmost to land, refurbished, and sent connected different mission.

The latest ngo marked the 11th motorboat and landing for this peculiar Falcon 9 first-stage booster, which antecedently launched GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, Inspiration4, Ax-1, Nilesat 301, and present six Starlink missions.

SpaceX said that Wednesday’s motorboat was the archetypal nether a caller licence that allows the institution to deploy its Starlink net satellites to caller orbits, which volition adhd much capableness to the network. This volition marque it easier for SpaceX to adhd much Starlink customers and connection faster broadband service, particularly successful places that are presently over-subscribed, SpaceX said.

SpaceX inactive has 1 much ngo scheduled for 2022, which volition bring its full fig of missions for the twelvemonth to a grounds 61, astir treble what it achieved successful 2021.

This year’s missions utilized SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, but for 1 involving its much almighty Falcon Heavy conveyance successful a formation that deployed 2 classified satellites for the U.S. Space Force successful November.

Next twelvemonth volition spot a immense fig of launches, too, portion SpaceX volition besides beryllium focusing connected the archetypal trial of its next-generation Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft, designed for missions to the satellite and beyond.