SpaceX celebrates the 300th successful landing of a Falcon 9 rocket
SpaceX continues on its path of improving space technology and achieving another record – the 300th successful landing of the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. This event was another confirmation of the successful implementation of the idea of reusing rocket stages, significantly reducing the cost and increasing the frequency of launches.
With the launch on Tuesday at 18:17 EST from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the SpaceX mission put another 23 Starlink satellites into orbit. The event was broadcast live on social media, where everyone could watch the successful landing on the Just Read the Instructions unmanned ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Engines full power and liftoff! pic.twitter.com/FeW78mZio2
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 23, 2024
In the years since the first landing in 2015, SpaceX has corrected early flaws when rockets landed too hard or tipped over. The rocket’s first stage, which landed on Tuesday, has previously participated in nine missions, demonstrating the reliability and durability of Falcon 9 launch vehicles. This launch vehicle has already launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER, USSF-124 and five Starlink missions.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, completing Falcon’s 300th landing! pic.twitter.com/1YHqiHWjkN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 23, 2024
The company has recently set another record, namely, the same Falcon 9 stage has made 20 successful launches and landings.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk personally congratulated the team on the significant achievement, which testifies to the reality of a rapid increase in the number of launches. Given the pace of the company’s development, the 400th landing could happen much sooner than expected, emphasizing the steady progress in space exploration.
