SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket flew its 300th mission on Thursday Feb. 16, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:34 p.m. PST (4:34 p.m. EST, 2134 UTC) carrying another batch of satellites for the company’s Starlink internet service.
The mission, dubbed USSF-124, was the eighth National Security Space Launch using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff occurred at the start of a four-hour launch window that opened at 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 UTC) on Wednesday.
Intuitive Machines and SpaceX stood down from the first launch opportunity for the Nova-C lander. The Falcon 9 rocket supporting the mission is set to lift off on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 1:05 a.m. EST.
The mission is the first of the year for NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the Kennedy Space Center. The Falcon 9 rocket is lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 UTC) on Feb. 8.
The spacecraft named PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) has a nominal operating life of three years with the amount of fuel to potentially have it last a decade. It’s set to launch onboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Two of the four crew members will exit a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft using spacesuits currently under development. The launch is set for no earlier than early 2024.
The Falcon 9 launch was the second in a back-to-back series for the company Sunday evening. Liftoff occurred at 9:57 p.m. PST (12:57 a.m. EST, 0557 UTC).
A Falcon 9 rocket launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 8:10 p.m. EST (0110 UTC). A second Falcon 9 is due to soar skyward from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California later tonight.