SpaceX Launches Two Missions in Two Days

SpaceX has upped the ante when it comes to reusable launch systems. Within 49 hours the company launched and recovered two Falcon 9 first stages while putting it’s customer’s payloads safely into orbit.
On Friday, 23 June a Falcon 9 using a refurbished first stage launched from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After completing its part of the mission, the 230 foot tall first stage landed on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Atlantic Ocean. Its payload, BulgariaSat-1, was later placed into its desired orbit.

On Sunday 25 June A second Falcon 9 launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California carrying 10 Iridium NEXT satellites. The first stage then landed on the drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Pacific ocean. This first stage was the first to use new Titanium grid fins which are better suited to the plans to fly these stages multiple times.

These launches represent the largest number of launches in a single year for SpaceX – and the year is only half over.

BulgariaSat-1 Launch

Iridium-2 Launch