SpaceX Breaks Own Record

August 7, 2023 – When the Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 40 last night it did so just three days 21 hours and 41 minutes from the previous SpaceX launch, breaking the record that was set less than two weeks ago.

Shaving about five hours off the turnaround time, the spacecraft hoisted 22 V2 mini satellites that will join the Starlink constellation. Starlink is already serving up broadband internet to 1.5 million subscribers around the world.

The missions are also impressive because the boosters are used again and again, either returning to Earth at a landing pad or to a drone ship. The 1078 booster on this mission has already flown on the Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER and the Starlink 4-4 missions. After separating from the second stage 1078 headed for the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas east of the Bahamas.

The next Falcon 9 launch is on the books for August 10 at 7:23 pm, delivering another batch of Starlink satellites. Although that won’t set another record, in terms of time between launches, it’s surprisingly fast.

Source: Space Flight Now