What payload was carried on the 17th mission of SpaceX?
The Mission
SpaceX launched the OneWeb 17 mission on March 14th, 2021 at 1:06 PM ET from Space Launch Complex-40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission was carrying 36 OneWeb satellites into low Earth orbit using a Falcon 9 rocket.
The Success
The mission was a success, with all of the OneWeb satellites successfully deploying into their intended orbits. This brings the total number of OneWeb satellites in orbit to 146, which is more than half of their planned constellation.
But that’s not all, after the successful deployment of the satellites, SpaceX also returned the Falcon 9 booster to Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The booster had previously been used to launch the Telstar 18 VANTAGE mission, and this marks the ninth time that the booster has been used.
The Benefits
The success of this mission is great news for both SpaceX and OneWeb. For SpaceX, it marks another successful launch and booster recovery, helping to lower the cost of spaceflight. For OneWeb, it brings them one step closer to achieving their goal of global internet coverage. With more satellites in orbit, they’ll be able to offer faster and more reliable internet to more people around the world.
Conclusion
Overall, the successful launch of the OneWeb 17 mission and the return of the Falcon 9 booster to LZ-1 is great news for the space industry. It’s exciting to see companies like SpaceX and OneWeb pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space and working towards making space more accessible and useful for everyone.
On March 25, 2021, the Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, successfully launched the OneWeb 17 mission from Launch Complex 39A (LZ-1) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This marked the fifth OneWeb mission of SpaceX, which aims to deploy a constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide global internet connectivity.
The launch was a significant milestone for both SpaceX and OneWeb, as it came just weeks after the latter company emerged from bankruptcy following a deal with the UK government and Bharti Global. OneWeb aims to launch a total of 648 LEO satellites to provide high-speed internet access to remote areas around the world.
The launch of the OneWeb 17 mission was conducted using a Falcon 9 rocket, which is a two-stage reusable spacecraft designed and manufactured by SpaceX. The rocket was powered by nine Merlin engines and each of its stages had individual thrust control capabilities. The spacecraft had a payload of 36 OneWeb satellites, which were deployed into orbit about an hour after the launch.
Apart from the launch of the OneWeb 17 mission, the event also marked a significant moment for the LZ-1 launch complex, which received a booster for the first time since June 2020. The booster that was used in the launch had previously been used in a Starlink mission in December 2020, making this its second successful launch and landing.
The booster, known as B1059, was designed by SpaceX to be reusable, which is one of the company’s major strategies for reducing the cost of space travel. Reusable boosters allow for quicker and more frequent launches, as well as lower launch costs, by reducing the amount of new hardware that needs to be manufactured for every mission.
SpaceX’s successful launch of the OneWeb 17 mission and the booster reusability demonstrated by B1059 are significant steps forward for the space industry. With the demand for satellite-based internet services growing rapidly worldwide, companies like SpaceX and OneWeb are at the forefront of innovation and are helping to reshape the way we think about global connectivity.