A video released by SpaceX shows a spectacular rocket’s-eye view of a recent mission from launch to landing.
The footage, shot in clear conditions on January 3 during the company’s 200th mission, shows a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a flight that deployed satellites for a variety of customers.
As usual for a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission, the first-stage booster hurtled to orbit before separating from the payload-carrying second stage. The first stage then descended to Earth before performing a perfect upright landing back at Cape Canaveral. Other Falcon 9 missions sometimes involve the booster landing on a barge waiting in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
The Falcon 9’s first stage spent just over eight minutes in the air during its latest flight, but the video is sped up, compressing the trip into just 90 seconds.
The clip offers a great opportunity to fully appreciate the impressive work of the SpaceX engineers who developed the launch-and-landing process for the Falcon 9, a system that has enabled the company to cut the cost of space missions by using the same boosters, as well as other parts of the rocket such as the fairing, over and over again.
Indeed, the booster in last week’s mission was on its 15th flight, having previously supported the launch of GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, and Intelsat G-33/G-34 missions, as well as 10 flights deploying Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s internet-from-space service. Other Falcon 9 flights have launched the Dragon spacecraft for cargo and crew missions to and from the International Space Station, and also sent to orbit a specially designed capsule for SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission in 2021.
If you enjoyed this latest SpaceX video, then be sure to check out another recently shared clip showing a unique view of a static fire test of the company’s next-generation Starship spacecraft. The vehicle will soon head to orbit atop the mighty Super Heavy rocket when it takes its first test flight in the coming months.
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