SpaceX sets rocket re-use record Friday with a nine-day turnaround
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the NASA projects SPHEREx and PUNCH lifted off into the night sky from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 11.
March 21 (UPI) -- SpaceX has set a rocket re-use record for launch turnaround by sending a Falcon 9 up twice within nine days early Friday morning. The previous record was 14 days.
The rocket launched at 2:49 a.m. EDT Friday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission was for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
The NROL-57 mission came nine days after the rocket was used to take the SPHEREx space telescope and PUNCH solar probes for NASA into orbit March 11.
SpaceX has set a rocket re-use record for launch-turnaround by sending a Falcon 9 up twice within nine days early Friday morning. The previous record was 14 days. (Photo Credit: Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo)
According to NRO the Friday mission was the eighth time"proliferated architecture" was used. It's a paradigm featuring a number of smaller satellites NRO said are designed "for capability and resilience."
"Over the past two years, NRO has launched more than 150 satellites, creating the largest and most capable government constellation in orbit in our nation's history. Continuing with this momentum, 2025 is set to be another dynamic year, with approximately one dozen NRO launches scheduled," the NRO said in a statement.
Friday's Falcon 9 launch was the 450th for Falcon 9 rockets.
The satellites are believed to be a Starshield constellation for the government, a variation of Starlink built by SpaceX and Northrup Grumman.
The launch was the second this year. The first was the NROL-153 mission in January.
The number of satellites on the Friday mission wasn't revealed.
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