Starlink Group 4-8

Starlink Group 4-8

• Type: Communications
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $52,000,000

A batch of 46 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

Space Launch Complex 40

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 40 has witnessed the launch of 259 rockets, including 259 orbital launch attempts, while Cape Canaveral, FL, USA, has been the site for 972 rocket launches.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

Core B1058

Booster B1058 last launched 12/23/2023 and has seen 19 successful launches and landings. Booster first flown during the DEMO-2 mission. Only booster featuring the NASA worm logo.

Written off after toppled by rough seas during transport on 25 December 2023 after safely landing aboard JRTI.

A Shortfall of Gravitas – ASOG

The fourth ASDS barge, A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) is currently used to recover Falcon 9 and Heavy boosters in the Altantic Ocean.

Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship – ASDS

An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform. Construction of such ships was commissioned by aerospace company SpaceX to allow for recovery of rocket first-stages at sea for high-velocity missions which do not carry enough fuel to return to the launch site after lofting spacecraft onto an orbital trajectory.

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.