SpaceX nears record: Falcon 9 booster flies into space for the 34th time

Today, June 11, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the latest batch of Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch took place from the SLC-4E complex at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at local time. As part of the Starlink 17-44 mission, 24 internet satellites were delivered to Earth orbit. This was reported by Ixbt.com news.

The flight proceeded in standard mode, and all devices successfully separated from the rocket's second stage. A key aspect of this mission is that the first stage, numbered B1071, has now flown into space 34 times during its operational life. This result is very close to the world record for reusability technology.

After completing its task, the rocket booster returned to Earth and successfully landed on the autonomous sea platform "Of Course I Still Love You" (OCISLY) located in the Pacific Ocean. This once again proved how effective the SpaceX reusability program is.

Reusing rocket boosters allows the company to significantly reduce launch costs and maintain a high pace for building the Starlink orbital constellation. Currently, the absolute record belongs to the B1067 booster, which has flown into space 35 times. Notably, this record flight took place just three days ago.