Having maintained an average of one launch per week for a full 12 months, SpaceX has successfully launched 52 Falcon 9 rockets in 52 weeks, according to a report by Teslarati.
The Starlink 4-2 rideshare mission was one of SpaceX's most challenging commercial flights, breaking the previous record for reusing a Falcon 9 rocket. It also marked SpaceX's 150th straight successful launch.
Heaviest Rideshare Payload
Starlink 4-2 launched the heaviest rideshare payload ever for SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile's 1.5-ton (3300 lb) BlueWalker 3 communications satellite, including 34 new Starlink V1.5 satellites that followed roughly 3000 other operational SpaceX spacecraft in orbit.
The combined 12-ton (26,500 lb) payload was securely fastened into the Falcon 9's composite payload at the scheduled time of 9:20 pm EDT (01:20 UTC) on Saturday, September 10.
The Falcon 9 booster B1058, a nine-engine first stage that made its debut by propelling two NASA astronauts in May 2020, was tasked with carrying the rocket's expendable upper stage, reusable fairing, and payload, as noted by Teslarati.
After 28 months, B1058 launched on its 14th orbital-class launch, carrying Starlink 4-2 and BlueWalker 3, shattering the previous record for the most booster reused by a Falcon 9 vehicle.
The rocket operated as it had every other time, blazing for under three minutes before launching the top stage and landing on Earth.
B1058 securely landed on drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG) about nine minutes after taking off, positioning the booster to surpass its own record before 2022 ends.
Teslarati further noted that boosters B1051 and B1060 would probably follow B1058 past the same 14-flight mark soon as they have already completed 13 launches.
Most Challenging Commercial Launch
The disposable upper stage of the Falcon 9 launched SpaceX's most challenging commercial launch to date once it was separated from the booster.
The first and longest burn, which lasted around six minutes, sent the second stage and cargo into an elliptical orbit a few hundred kilometers above the planet's surface.
About 45 minutes after launch, a second burn was performed to raise the low end of that ellipse and place BlueWalker 3 into a circular orbit at a distance of about 500 kilometers (310 miles).
Since September 14, 2021, SpaceX has successfully launched 52 Falcon 9s, including Starlink 4-2. Even though it wasn't achieved in a calendar year, SpaceX has technically already met CEO Elon Musk's target of 52 launches per year.
The fact that this mission marked SpaceX's 150th consecutive successful Falcon launch may be even more astounding. No other rocket family (Falcon) or individual rocket (Falcon 9) has successfully launched more consecutive launches, as noted by Teslarati.
The 42nd launch of 2022 by SpaceX was Starlink 4-2. By the end of the year, the company might have accomplished over 60 Falcon launches in a single calendar year if it maintains its recent pace.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
