SpaceX said it successfully launched a satellite on a geostationary
transfer mission late Tuesday, marking a key milestone for the private
rocket company run by Elon Musk.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, local time.
The satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corp. ORB +0.44% . It will provide telecommunication services in South Asia and Indo-China as part of a fleet of satellites operated by SES FR:SESG +0.88% .
It was the first commercial launch from Cape Canaveral in more than four years. The flight was the second of three certification flights needed by the Falcon 9 before SpaceX can bid for National Security Space missions.
A geostationary transfer mission places a satellite in an elliptical orbit which passes close to the Earth’s surface at one extreme, and the ultimate altitude intended for the satellite at the other. A smaller rocket engine on the satellite itself is fired later to lift the satellite to its permanent location above a specific point on earth.
SpaceX says it has orders for nearly 50 launches, with more than half for commercial customers.
Musk’s Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA -4.24% said this week that a German safety review of three car fires in its Model S sports sedans found no manufacturer faults, and required no recalls.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, local time.
The satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corp. ORB +0.44% . It will provide telecommunication services in South Asia and Indo-China as part of a fleet of satellites operated by SES FR:SESG +0.88% .
It was the first commercial launch from Cape Canaveral in more than four years. The flight was the second of three certification flights needed by the Falcon 9 before SpaceX can bid for National Security Space missions.
A geostationary transfer mission places a satellite in an elliptical orbit which passes close to the Earth’s surface at one extreme, and the ultimate altitude intended for the satellite at the other. A smaller rocket engine on the satellite itself is fired later to lift the satellite to its permanent location above a specific point on earth.
SpaceX says it has orders for nearly 50 launches, with more than half for commercial customers.
Musk’s Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA -4.24% said this week that a German safety review of three car fires in its Model S sports sedans found no manufacturer faults, and required no recalls.
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