Elon Musk’s SpaceX lit up the night sky over Florida with a record breaking launch this morning.
The firm fired one of the largest communications satellites ever launched into orbit to provide internet to developing nations.
The 5.4-ton (4,900kg/10,800lb) spacecraft, dubbed SES-12, will beam TV, data, and other communications services across the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.
It was flown beyond Earth’s atmosphere atop one of SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rockets in a launch early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX has fired ‘one of the largest communications satellites ever launched’ into orbit to provide internet to developing nations. Pictured is the rocket as it launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Monday morning
SpaceX had already used the rocket’s first booster stage to launch the US Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle back in September.
The company flew it for a second time today as part of its goal to use rocket stages multiple times in a bid to cut the costs of its trips to orbit.
The booster was not recovered for a second time and was instead allowed to crash into the ocean.
Today’s launch was SpaceX’s 56th Falcon 9 rocket flight – the company’s 11th flight this year and its fifth launch for Luxembourg-based telecom company SES.
It fired off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:45am BST (00:45 ET) and successfully deployed the SES-12 satellite 32 minutes after lift-off.
‘SES-12 is a uniquely designed satellite that will allow telephone companies, mobile network operators and internet service providers to deliver more reliable cellular backhaul and faster broadband service,’ SpaceX said in a statement.
Today’s launch was SpaceX’s fifth for Luxembourg-based telecom company SES. The SES-12 satellite, pictured as it was released from the Falcon 9’s second stage, will provide broadband and direct-to-home TV services to regions across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East
The 5.4-ton (4,900kg/10,800lb) gadget, dubbed SES-12, will be used to beam TV, data, and other communications services. Pictured is the Falcon 9 rocket during Monday’s launch
‘From its orbital position, SES-12 will also be pivotal in supporting government efforts to bridge the digital divide through connectivity programs and provide television operators with additional capacity to deliver more content and higher picture quality to meet customer demand.’
The rocket’s first stage was an older Block 4 version of the Falcon 9 rocket, but its second stage was the new Block 5 variant – the latest and final model of the rocket.
Martin Halliwell, chief technology officer for SES, said at a pre-launch press conference last week: ‘The first stage is a Block 4, and the upper stage is a Block 5.’
The SES-12 satellite was flown beyond Earth’s atmosphere atop one of SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9, which included a new Block 5 booster – the latest and final model of the rocket. It launched early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida
The rocket fired off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:45am BST (00:45 ET) and successfully deployed the SES-12 satellite 32 minutes after lift-off. Pictured is SES-12 with Airbus engineers during the satellite’s construction
Praising the Block 5, he added: ‘We get a lot of performance from this vehicle. It’s such a powerful upper stage. That engine is a monster.
‘So five seconds more to burn, a little bit more fuel, and it completely changes the dynamics of the project.’
The latest rocket features numerous upgrades compared to its predecessor, including stronger landing legs, better landing control and improved reusability.
The rocket looks similar to previous Falcon 9 iterations, aside from a new interstage ring, raceway cover and landing legs – which are all painted black.
Today’s launch was SpaceX’s 56th Falcon 9 rocket flight – the company’s 11th flight this year and its fifth launch for SES. Pictured is the rocket on its launchpad in Florida prior to its flight on Monday
SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of SES-12 in a tweet early this morning. The firm frequently live-tweets its rocket launches
SpaceX is run by billionaire Tesla and Paypal founder Elon Musk (file photo)
The black paint is part of the rocket’s new thermal protection system, which makes it highly flame resistant and rapidly reusable.
SpaceX estimates the Block 5’s improved features will reduce launch costs from £45 million ($60 million) to £37 million ($50 million).
The firm launched the Block 5 for the first time on May 11 following a botched attempt the day before in which a flight was aborted less than a minute before lift-off.
The craft, carrying Bangladesh’s first communications satellite, the Bangabandhu 1, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Block 5 Falcon 9 is said to be the ‘final iteration’ of the reusable rocket, with potential to handle far more launches than its predecessor, and could one day be used to carry astronauts to space.
Musk has referred to the Block 5 as the ‘finished version’ of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, as it has been designed to endure up to 100 flights in a single lifespan.
SpaceX had already used the rocket’s first booster stage to launch the US Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle back in September (pictured)
This is part of SpaceX’s wider goal to make launching rockets similar to commercial flights, where they ‘can be flown again and again’.
The rocket was initially scheduled to blast off on May 10, but the firm was forced to delay the maiden voyage after the rocket threw the abort signal 58 seconds before launch.
Announcers said at the time that the Block 5 rocket and its payload were ‘in good health’ but that it would use the following 24 hours to check what ‘threw the abort today’.
WHAT MAKES THE BLOCK 5 ROCKET DIFFERENT FROM EARLIER VERSIONS OF FALCON 9?
Unlike previous Falcon 9 iterations, the Block 5 is made to last for a long time — and for good reason, because if all goes well, it could be used to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
SpaceX launched the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket for the first time on May 11
The plan is to launch the first stage 10 times without needing refurbishment, just some minimal inspection before returning the rocket to the launchpad.
After it completes 10 flights, the Block 5 will be inspected and repaired, then used in 10 more flights.
With any luck, the rocket can be reused up to 100 times.
SpaceX says the rocket has numerous upgrades from its predecessor, the Block 4.
It has stronger landing legs, better landing control and is completely reusable.
The rocket looks pretty similar to previous Falcon 9 iterations, aside from a new interstage ring, raceway cover and landing legs — all of which are painted black.
The black paint is part of the rocket’s new thermal protection system that makes it highly flame resistant and rapidly reusable.
There are also some noteworthy changes to the rocket’s nine Merlin engines.
They now have a thrust of 190,000 lbf at sea level vs. the prior thrust amount of 176,000 lbf.
The rocket was supposed to launch on May 10, but threw a last minute abort signal at around T-1. It successfully took off Friday afternoon instead
Additionally, the rocket’s metal support structure, called the Octaweb, is now bolted to the body instead of welded, to allow for greater reliability and it ‘shortens the lead time in manufacturing,’ the company noted.
It’s been fitted with a new second stage anti-vortex device to prevent fluids from creating a whirlpool inside the rocket.
SpaceX is also using a pair of titanium grid fins, rather than aluminum, which allow for a more controlled entry.