SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches on record-breaking 18th mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink internet satellites on Friday evening (Nov. 3). It was the record-setting 18th mission for the rocket's first stage.
Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is a commercial company aiming to launch cargo, and eventually people, to low-Earth orbit. The firm is developing its Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 booster under contracts from NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program and its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.
Related Topics: Falcon Heavy, NASA, NASA Space Launch System, Orion Spacecraft