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HAWTHORNE (CNS) - Hawthorne-based aerospace company SpaceX began what is expected to be a busy week today by launching an Italian Earth-observation satellite into orbit, the first of three scheduled launches over the course of three days.
The launch of the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 from Cape Canaveral in Florida had been scrubbed four times already, contributing to this week's back-to-back-to-back schedule of liftoffs for SpaceX.
Following the most recent delay Sunday, the COSMO launch took place at 3:11 p.m. California time Monday. Once the satellite was propelled into orbit, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket used in the mission was be returned to Earth and landed back at Cape Canaveral. The rocket stage was used in two previous missions, and recovering it again allows for re-use in future flights, cutting the costs of launches.
Both halves of the rocket's fairing, or cargo-protecting nosecone, were also used in previous missions.
At 10:46 a.m. California time Tuesday, SpaceX is scheduled to launch another batch of satellites for its Starlink broadband internet array. That launch is also scheduled at Cape Canaveral.
Back on the West Coast on Wednesday, SpaceX is scheduled to launch another satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. That launch is set for 12:18 p.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base along the Central Coast of California. Depending on visibility, Vandenberg launches can often be spotted across Southern California, although more dramatically during evening hours.
Residents in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties will often hear sonic booms associated with Vandenberg launches.