New York, Gatra.com – SpaceX successfully launched three Canadian government-owned satellites on Wednesday (6/12). The company’s Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from foggy Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 10:17 a.m. ET (Eastern Time), as reported by CNN.
The vehicle is the same one used in the test mission of SpaceX’s new Starship in March, which is built to carry humans, according to a company statement. The first-stage booster is expected to return to Vandenberg about 10 minutes after liftoff.
The rocket is carrying the RADARSAT constellation mission of three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency.
According to information published on the company’s website, the data extracted from the satellite will be used for various information, including monitoring climate change, melting ice and maritime surveillance to assist the country’s defense forces.
Satellite images will also help emergency services anticipate natural disasters, such as floods and earthquakes.
SpaceX is the only rocket company to safely land an orbital mission after launching. Its ability to not jettison boosters is a major selling point. Because the company says reusable hardware helps reduce launch costs.
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