KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — SpaceX successfully launched a Spanish communications satellite on Wednesday night.
What You Need To Know
- The SpainSat NG I mission launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center
Taking off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sent the SpainSat NG I mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit, stated the company.
The two-hour launch window was set to open at 8:34 p.m. ET, and launch took place shortly afterward.
The 45th Weather Squadron was giving a 95% favorable chance of launch, with the only concern being the thick cloud layers rule.
Retiring old B1073
The Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, old B1073, was a workhorse for many important SpaceX launches and this 21st mission will be its last, stated SpaceX.
“Due to the additional performance required to deliver this payload to orbit, this will be the 21st and final flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission …,” the company stated.
The missions it has launched are:
- ispace’s HAKUTO-R and NASA’s Lunar Flashlight
- SES-22 telecommunications satellite
- Amazonas Nexus
- CRS-27
- Bandwagon-1
- NSIL GSAT-N2
- Thuraya 4-NGS
- 13 Starlink satellite missions
It will not be landing on a SpaceX droneship or landing zone.
About the mission
Built by the Spanish satellite operator and company Hisdesat, the 6.1-ton, 23.6-foot (7.2-meter) tall SpainSat Next Generation I (SNG I) satellite “will provide more cost-effective, scalable and secure communications services to governments and emergency responders in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East and as far as Singapore in Asia,” stated the European Space Agency, which supports the satellite.
Once the satellite reaches a geostationary orbit of a mere 22,236 miles (35,786 meters) above the little round Earth, it will conduct testing before going operational.
“SpainSat NG represents the next generation of secure satellite communications in Europe. This launch marks a key milestone in delivering more adaptable and secure communications services that will benefit government users across Europe and beyond,” stated Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, in a press release.
-
