Q&A with Keith Gendreau, principal investigator of the first X-ray space communications experiment (members only)

The SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 5:47 p.m. EDT (2147 UTC) on Saturday, Oct. 26, breaking the record for the most number of launches from Florida’s Space Coast in a calendar year.

Maintaining a brisk flight rate three days after its last launch, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 booster powered by a reused first stage into orbit Wednesday evening from Florida with an Airbus-built communications satellite for SES and EchoStar.

The Falcon 9 booster that dramatically flew back to Earth last month following a commercial satellite launch ignited again Friday in a hold-down test at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral launch pad, days before the company is due to launch its next mission from California, officials said.