On Monday, February 6th, SpaceX sent a commercial communications satellite into orbit. They launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Amazonas Nexus satellite, which was commissioned by the Spanish company Hispasat, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 8:32 PM Eastern Standard Time.
After a successful liftoff, the Falcon 9's first stage made a vertical landing on the SpaceX drone ship, "Just Read the Instructions," located in the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles off the coast of Florida, exactly 8.5 minutes later as planned.
The Falcon 9 rocket in this mission had already undergone six launches and landings. In addition to the Amazonas Nexus satellite, it also carried the SES-22 communications satellite, the Hakuto-R moon lander for the Tokyo-based company ispace, and three batches of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites.
170th Successful Landing
This landing marked the 170th time that SpaceX has successfully landed a rocket during an orbital mission, including those from both the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy. Approximately 36 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9's upper stage successfully deployed the 10,000-pound Amazonas Nexus satellite into geostationary transfer orbit, as planned, according to Space.com.
The Falcon 9 rocket utilized in this mission was no stranger to launches and landings, having undergone six such operations previously. The payload for this mission included not only the Amazonas Nexus satellite but also the SES-22 communications satellite, the Hakuto-R moon lander for ispace, and three groups of Starlink internet satellites from SpaceX. This landing was the 170th successful landing of a SpaceX rocket during an orbital mission, including those from both the Falcon 9 and the Falcon Heavy.
The upper stage of the Falcon 9 successfully placed the 10,000-pound Amazonas Nexus satellite into geostationary transfer orbit, as scheduled, 36 minutes after liftoff. Following the deployment of the Amazonas Nexus, the U.S. The Space Force announced that it has a payload on board the satellite, specifically a high-bandwidth protected communications transponder, as part of the Pathfinder 2 mission.
The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket heads for a landing on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions not long after launching the Amazonas Nexus satellite for Spanish company Hispasat on Feb. 6, 2023.
Rescheduled Launch
According to a pre-launch statement from Hispasat, the Amazonas Nexus will cover the entire American continent, Greenland, and the North and South Atlantic corridors, focusing on providing connectivity services in remote areas and for air and maritime mobility. The U.S. Space Force officials stated that the Pathfinder series aims to demonstrate cost-effective bandwidth acquisition through long-term access to transponder assets from commercial satellite providers.
Furthermore, the officials added that the Pathfinder 2 would enhance the diversity, flexibility, and resilience of the U.S. Space Force's satellite communication architecture and provide increased capability to the warfighter. The mission aims to showcase innovative, affordable, and resilient wideband alternative satellite communications by utilizing existing commercial technologies.
Fox Business said the launch was initially scheduled for Sunday, February 5th, but was postponed by SpaceX due to unfavorable weather conditions. This was SpaceX's ninth launch in 2023, putting it on track to surpass its previous record of 61 launches in a single year, which was set in 2022.
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