SpaceX this week broke its annual launch record with its trusty Falcon 9 rocket — and it’s only October.
Continuing with its busy schedule of launches, the spaceflight company successfully delivered the SpainSat NG II satellite to geosynchronous orbit (GTO) in a mission that lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday night.
But there was something unusual about this one.
Due to the additional rocket fuel needed to deliver the satellite to a more distant GTO compared to the Falcon 9’s more regular flights to low-Earth orbit, the B1076 first-stage booster did not return and land upright on a droneship or at the launch site.
This made the mission rather unusual, as the last time SpaceX expended a Falcon 9 booster was in January, more than 130 launches ago.
B1076 served the company well, flying 22 times without issue, and highlighting SpaceX’s ability to reuse its Falcon 9 rockets multiple times. The system of reusability is key to SpaceX’s entire operation and enables it to drastically cut the cost of access to space.
The expended booster previously launched CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, SES O3b mPOWER-C, Ovzon-3, Eutelsat 26D, Turksat 6A, Maxar 2, SXM-9, and 12 Starlink missions.
As an upright landing wasn’t necessary, the booster flew without any landing legs and grid fins — essential components for when it makes a controlled landing.
Below, you can watch B1076 lifting off for the final time, carrying the Spanish satellite to space.
SpaceX also shared some dramatic images (below) of the booster’s final launch, including one showing a close-up of its engines as it blasted off the launchpad at Cape Canaveral.
Following the B1076 booster’s successful satellite deployment, the first stage descended to Earth and crashed into the ocean before sinking to its final resting place deep beneath the waves.
