SpaceX launches Maxar satellite with NASA's TEMPO module for $90 million to monitor air pollution in North America

SpaceX has completed its 23rd successful launch since the beginning of 2023. The Falcon 9 rocket launched the Intelsat40e satellite from Maxar Technologies.

Here's What We Know

The launch took place on April 7 at 01:30 (EDT) or 22:30 (PDT). This was the fourth launch for the first stage, which returned to Earth and landed in the Atlantic Ocean. The unmanned platform A Shortfall Of Gravitas was waiting there. This took place nine minutes after launch.

About half an hour after launch, Intelsat40e was carried by the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket to its destination, from where it continued on its own. The satellite is located at an altitude of 36,000 km from the equator. Its position relative to the Earth will not change. This will allow the spacecraft to take images over North America.

Intelsat40e has been equipped with the Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) module to detect pollution. It was developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in conjunction with Ball Aerospace. The space agency will pay $210 million for the programme, although the instrument itself costs $90 million.

TEMPO will be operational for at least 20 months. At least that is the duration of the module's primary mission. As for the Intelsat40e satellite, it is expected to last 15 years.

Source: SpaceX