SpaceX launches new Starlink satellite fleet in record making Falcon 9 flight; WATCH

Following the ambitious goal of 60 launches in 2022, SpaceX conducted another successful mission on May 6. The California-based aerospace firm launched a new fleet of Starlink internet satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Friday at 3:12 pm (IST). The Falcon 9 rocket liftoff from the launch pad in the 18th SpaceX mission of the year and made a marvelous landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic ocean. So far, SpaceX has launched over 2,300 Starlink satellites and plans to launch as many as 30,000 in total. 

SpaceX booster makes reusability record

With the successful completion of the recent mission, the Falcon 9 booster rocket used for the flight has been flown a record 12 times. With this milestone, there are now three Falcon 9 first stage boosters that have flown a total of 12 times, Space.com reported. According to SpaceX, the booster used for the recent flight has previously been launched in the historic Demo-2 mission, which earned the company's NASA's approval for conducting manned spaceflights. In addition to this, the booster has also been used for six Starlink missions, along with ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and Transporter-3.

While it was the 10th successful Starlink mission this year, the overall number of SpaceX's internet-providing satellites has reached 45 since 2019. The previous launch was on April 29 and the booster used in that mission also helped launch two important crewed spaceflights- Inspiration4 and the Axiom-1 along with the GPS III Space Vehicle 04, GPS III Space Vehicle 05, and one Starlink.

Additionally, the May 6 launch was the 151st Falcon 9 overall launch and the 17th re-flight of a booster this year. Besides, SpaceX is heading toward making the record for the 43rd consecutive booster landing and the 47th orbital launch attempt in 2022. Most recently, the California-based transported four astronauts for NASA under the Crew-4 mission, which was it's third in two weeks. SpaceX has been extremely busy with its missions this year as it brought back astronauts of the Crew-3 mission earlier today.