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New SpaceX Falcon 9 mission completes a record 27th reflight for the first-stage booster

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SpaceX Falcon 9 Liftoff

On April 14, 2025, SpaceX launched a new Falcon 9 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida and completed a record-breaking 27th reflight for a first stage booster. The mission payload was 27 Starlink satellites, set to deploy them in low-Earth orbit.

SpaceX conducts these launches to improve the satellite network connectivity for Starlink users across the world, and Falcon 9 is essential for rapid reusability for each mission.

Falcon 9 is 70 meter tall and 2.7 meters wide, it can deliver a 22,800 kg payload to low-Earth orbit. Its first stage equips nine Merlin engines and aluminum-lithium alloy tanks containing liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellant.

At liftoff, the rocket generates more than 1.7 million pounds of thrust to leave the launch pad. Its four landing legs are made of carbon fiber, including aluminum honeycomb.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida (Source – SpaceX)

The first stage used for this mission previously supported important flights including:

  • CRS-22,
  • Crew-3,
  • Turksat 5B,
  • Crew-4,
  • CRS-25,
  • Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G,
  • O3B mPOWER-A,
  • PSN SATRIA,
  • Telkomsat Merah Putih 2,
  • Galileo L13,
  • Koreasat-6A,
  • and 15 Starlink missions.

The first stage is used to deliver the second stage to space and separate to return to the Earth for vertical landing. After conducting hot-staging, the booster landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. Prior to deploying the landing legs, the rocket fires a final burn and slows down the rocket.

Reusability is a major factor in SpaceX’s rocket design, Falcon 9 has the most reflights in the history of the Space industry and the company continues to make records with new launches. The space launch vehicle maker is also protoyping improved propellant and avionics in new vehicles to grow the number of reflights with new boosters.

(source)

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Mannoo specializes in Generative AI, Large Language Model (LLM), and Aerospace Science. Prior to delving into these fields, he was a Python programmer, a game designer, and an Android and iOS app developer with over 5 years of experience. He has prior writing experience in creative writing about smartphones and technology before working at Eonmsk.com. You can explore his X/TWitter and LinkedIn pages or contact him through his email.

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