SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, sending an unusual payload into space - 64 satellites at the same time, a US record.

And the company headed by US tech billionaire Elon Musk marked another milestone in its bid to make rockets more re-usable, like airplanes: the blast-off used a recycled booster for the third time.

California-based SpaceX has landed more than 30 of these boosters back on Earth, and has begun re-using them on subsequent missions.

In the past, companies have typically allowed rocket parts costing many millions of dollars to fall like junk into the ocean.

Monday's landing of the first stage was flawless, like many before it.

Several minutes after liftoff, the tall, white portion of the rocket - known formally as the first stage - separated from the second stage.

The booster then fired its engines and made a controlled, upright landing on a platform in the Pacific Ocean, video from SpaceX's live webcast showed.

Meanwhile, the second stage pressed deeper into space, carrying 15 micro-satellites and 49 CubeSats belonging to 34 different clients including public, private and university sources from 17 different countries including South Korea, France and Kazakhstan.

The launch was chartered by a company called Spaceflight, which specializes in space "rideshares," or putting multiple satellites on the same rocket.

Microsatellites weigh a few dozen pounds (kilograms) and CubeSats are even smaller.

The satellites will be placed into orbit over the next several hours.

Not all the clients have scientific missions.

The Nevada Museum of Art sent up a sculpture called "Orbital Reflector" by artist Trevor Paglen.

The reflective, inflatable sculpture is designed to eject from its satellite and orbit the earth "for several weeks before disintegrating upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere," the museum said.

Related Links
SpaceX
Microsat News and Nanosat News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Lift off for Pioneering nanosats
Paris (ESA) Nov 30, 2018
The first 'Pioneer' mission lifted off early this morning from Sriharikota, India, with the two inventive little nanosatellites now circling the Earth, ready for action. The shoebox-sized satellites were launched at 04:27 GMT into low Earth orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation's PLSV launcher, and opened their first communication windows with their owner, Spire Global, less than an hour after they separated from the rocket. Both satellites were developed under ESA's ARTES Pioneer ... read more