SpaceX launches Thaicom 6, marks second GTO flight
Advanced rocket and spacecraft designer, manufacturer and launcher Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) on Tuesday announced that its Falcon 9 transport vehicle successfully delivered a commercial telecommunications satellite into orbit for Asian Satellite operator Thaicom.
Falcon 9, which was named for the Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars movies, is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by California-headquartered SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites.
The successful Thaicom 6 mission, which set the tone for a series of launches planned for SpaceX this year, was Falcon 9’s second flight to a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) and its eighth successful flight in a row, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement.
SpaceX, which was founded by billionaire Elon Musk, launched the Thaicom 6 satellite to its targeted orbit from SpaceX’s Space Launch Complex 40, based at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in Florida.
In December, SpaceX completed its first GTO mission with the upgraded Falcon 9, successfully delivering the SES-8 satellite into its targeted orbit.
“This launch also marks the third of three qualification flights needed to certify the Falcon 9 to fly missions under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle programme. Once Falcon 9 is certified, SpaceX will be eligible to compete to launch national security satellites for the US Air Force,” Shotwell added.
According to the company’s website, the Falcon 9 was set to deliver 14 payloads, including Thaicom, throughout this year, with over 50 launches – more than half of which were scheduled for commercial customers – in total on its manifest over the next few years.
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