SpaceX has broken a record for launching a booster rocket for the sixth time on Tuesday. SpaceX’s Falcon 9, a rocket that has been to space five times, was carrying a load of 58 Starlink internet satellites and three rideshare payloads, small satellites added to the primary launch vehicle.
The three additional smaller SkySat satellites utilized for observing Earth in Sun Synchronous Orbit was hosted by Planet, an open source software and imagery data company that provides real-time insights, geospatial data and analytics about the Earth.
In early August 2019, SpaceX announced a rideshare program for launching small satellites into orbit when their large satellite market was shrinking after 2018. Currently, there’s been a total of 535 satellites launched before the mission on Tuesday.
In mid-August, NASA and SpaceX also announced they are planning a full astronaut mission with a projected date set for October 23rd, the earliest date possible for the mission.
The mission crew, also known as Crew-1, will consist of three American astronauts and one Japanese astronaut. NASA’s Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Soichi Noguchi will be blasting off in a Crew Dragon Capsule created by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX.
Crew-1 will propel into space for a six month mission onboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule towards the International Space Station. While orbiting the Earth, Crew-1 will be conducting research and performing multiple tasks.
This important announcement comes after a triumphant SpaceX Demo-2 test flight that involved carrying two NASA astronauts onboard the company’s first ever crewed mission.
NASA and SpaceX are now sifting through the data from the Demo-2 mission looking for major concerns if there are any. In the event no major issues are found, NASA will move forward with using SpaceX’s rockets and capsules to fly astronauts to the International Space Station regularly.
The new developments come as SpaceX releases a job post for a Resort Development Manager in Boca Chica, Texas. The ad indicated that SpaceX has plans to create its first resort, which will be known as a “21st century Spaceport.”
SpaceX has been working diligently to develop capable spacecrafts that will fly private customers. The company has already been working with Virgin to build its Spaceport America location in New Mexico for the collaborative Virgin Galactic. With that said, private flights to space are proposed to be available in 2021.
