To date, SpaceX has only re-flown first stages recovered from low Earth orbit missions geosynchronous launches see the stages separate at higher velocity and subject them to more extreme conditions as they reenter the atmosphere.Ĭore 1031 was previously used during February’s launch of CRS-10, a Dragon mission that delivered supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. Like the previous missions, Wednesday’s launch used a first stage that previously flew a low Earth orbit mission to carry a satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit on its second flight. In addition to March’s SES-10 launch, a second re-use occurred in June when BulgariaSat-1 was boosted by a core stage that had previously been used to deploy ten Iridium communications satellites. Wednesday’s launch was the third Falcon 9 mission to re-use a previously-flown first stage. The Space Shuttle is the only other orbital rocket that has demonstrated partial reusability. In the case of March’s launch, the first stage had boosted a Dragon mission to the International Space Station the year before.Īnother previously-flown first stage will be used for Wednesday’s mission to deploy SES-11: Core 1031 was part of the rocket that carried Dragon’s CRS-10 mission into orbit in February.įollowing a successful landing at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1 – the former Launch Complex 13 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station – Core 1031 was refurbished for the SES-11 launch.įalcon 9 is the only rocket currently flying that incorporates reusability: after separating from the second stage, which carries the rocket’s payload the rest of the way to orbit, the core uses its remaining propellant to make two or three additional engine burns – the last of which guides it to a controlled landing either on land near to the launch site, or at sea aboard an Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS) barge. SES-8 was the first geostationary satellite to be launched by SpaceX, while March’s SES-10 launch was the first to make use of a “flight-proven” first stage – one which had been recovered following a previous launch. Wednesday’s launch followed March’s successful deployment of SES-10, and earlier missions in 20 which deployed the SES-8 and SES-9 satellites.
SES-11 is the second satellite that SpaceX has launched for SES this year, and the fourth overall. The spacecraft will be operated by SES in conjunction with US telecoms company EchoStar, as EchoStar-105/SES-11. Liftoff, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center took place at the opening of a two-hour window at 18:53 Eastern Time (22:53 UTC), with the booster landing successfully.įlying less than sixty hours after another Falcon 9 lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base and successfully deployed ten Iridium-NEXT communications satellites, Wednesday’s mission saw Falcon carry the SES-11 communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit for SES of Luxembourg. SpaceX launched its third re-flown Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday, carrying the EchoStar-105/SES-11 communications satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit for SES and EchoStar.
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