It was the 20th launch for this Falcon 9’s first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description.
That tied a mark set earlier this month by a different Falcon 9 booster, on a launch of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites.
Twenty-eight Galileo satellites have launched to date, all of them atop Russian-built Soyuz rockets or Europe’s Ariane 5.
So, late last year, the European Space Agency inked a deal with SpaceX to launch up to four Galileo craft over two launches in 2024.
“Due to the additional performance required to deliver the payload to medium Earth orbit, this mission marks the 20th and final launch for this Falcon 9 first stage booster,” SpaceX wrote in the mission description.
The Falcon 9 stage that already has 20 launches under its belt, by contrast, landed safely after its record flight on April 12.
Starlink satellites fly in low Earth orbit, so the booster had enough fuel left over to return to Earth.
SpaceX has already launched 41 orbital missions in 2024, 28 of which have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation.
On Saturday night, SpaceX tied its record for the most rockets reused (April 27).
According to a report from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 8:34 p.m., it was the 20th launch of this Falcon 9’s first stage. m. April 28 at 00:34 EDT (GMT).
The SpaceX mission description states that this was the 20th launch of this Falcon 9’s first stage. That was the same as the record set by another Falcon 9 booster earlier this month during the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites.
See also: 8 ways SpaceX has changed space travel.
Launched to complement the US Global Positioning System (GPS), Europe’s Galileo constellation gained a new member with this launch. So far, 28 Galileo satellites have been launched, all atop either Europe’s Ariane 5 or Russia’s Soyuz rockets.
However, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Europe severed its space ties with Russia, and the Ariane 5 was retired last summer without a suitable replacement. Thus, the European Space Agency and SpaceX signed an agreement late last year to launch a maximum of four Galileo craft over two launches in 2024. Presumably, the mission on Saturday was the first of those two launches.
Since the Galileo satellites are located in medium Earth orbit, 14,430 miles (23,222 kilometers) above Earth, tonight’s launch stage landing was unusual for a SpaceX mission.
“This mission marks the 20th and final launch for this Falcon 9 first stage booster due to the additional performance required to deliver the payload to medium Earth orbit,” SpaceX stated in the mission description.
In contrast, the stage of the Falcon 9, which has already completed 20 launches, made a safe landing following its record flight on April 12. The booster had enough fuel left over to make the trip back to Earth because Starlink satellites orbit at a low altitude.
After launching on Saturday, SpaceX had a busy weekend ahead of them. On Sunday evening (April 28), the company will launch another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is located next to KSC.
A very busy year precedes and ends with this weekend. Twenty-eight of SpaceX’s forty-one orbital missions in 2024 have been devoted to the expansion of the Starlink megaconstellation.
