The American company SpaceX yesterday conducted the 31st orbital launch of the year, sending a Dragon ship with three tons of cargo to the International Space Station using a Falcon 9 launch vehicle. At the same time, as part of this mission, SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of the rocket for the hundredth time.
Image Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Launch Pad 39, which is located on the territory of the Kennedy Space Center, on December 21 at 05:07 local time (13:07 Moscow time). This launch launched the company's 24th mission to deliver cargo to the orbital station. This time, about 3 tons of cargo is on board the Dragon ship, including a supply of food, as well as materials and equipment for conducting scientific experiments.
Approximately eight minutes after the launch of Falcon 9, the first stage of the launch vehicle returned to Earth and made a soft landing on a special floating platform Just Read the Instruction. “This is the first landing for this particular stage, but the hundredth successful landing for an orbital-class rocket stage. A great way to end the year , ”commented Andy Train, SpaceX's Operations Manager.
Image source: SpaceX
At the same time, yesterday's launch of Falcon 9 helped SpaceX make the record for the number of launches carried out in a year even more impressive. Since the beginning of the year, Elon Musk's company has carried out 31 orbital launches. “This has been a record year for SpaceX. This is our 31st and final launch in 2021, more than the 26 launches we completed last year , ”said Sarah Walker, Dragon Mission Leader at SpaceX.
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