The Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX just got launched from Cape Canaveral. It went east over the Atlantic Ocean. It took 33 minutes to deliver the Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite into orbit.
The rocket is 70-meter long. It got launched from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch happened at exactly 12:33 a.m. EST (0533 GMT) Tuesday. There was a two-hour-long launch window.
This launch marks the 50th launch of Falcon 9 and the 56th SpaceX launch in total. This time the payload is a communication satellite weighing 60 tons. It is indeed the largest in volume that SpaceX has ever launched to GTO. It’s also the second heaviest GTO launch ever to take place.
The Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite is manufactured by Space Systems/Loral. It is basically a tri-band satellite. The Madrid-based company Hispasat owns it. It will reportedly replace an old telecom craft that was launched back in 2002. It will provide video, data, and broadband services across America, Europe, and North Africa.
This time the first stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket will not be recovered. The weather condition in the Atlantic Ocean is responsible for that decision. There will be no landing attempt as well. The huge payload leaves a very tiny margin for a barge landing, and there are 10-meter seas at the proposed landing site.
