SpaceX completes two successful Falcon 9 rocket orbital launches with less than 5-hour interval

SpaceX was able to successfully complete two orbital launches less than five hours apart. Falcon 9 rockets launched another batch of satellites into orbit.

Here's What We Know

The first launch took place on March 17 at 15:26 (EDT) or 12:26 (PDT). The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the U.S. Space Force's Vandenberg base in California. It sent 52 Starlink spacecraft into orbit.

Another Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral, Florida, pad at 01:38 (ETT) on March 18. It sent the SES-18 and SES-19 telecommunications satellites into geosynchronous orbit.

The first stage of each rocket successfully returned back to Earth. It is noted that for Falcon 9, which launched the satellite Starlink, this was the eighth launch. The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, which was used to launch the SES spacecraft, has successfully completed six missions.

Also note that these launches are the 18th and 19th since the beginning of 2023. The head of aerospace company SpaceX, Elon Musk, is promising that around 100 orbital launches will be possible by the end of 2023. Given that it's the middle of March on the calendar, everything is on schedule.

Source: SpaceX