Arguably the most exciting aspect of SpaceX’s most recent launch was watching the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket return to Landing Zone 1 (especially with the split-screen footage). Unfortunately, Monday night’s SpaceX launch won’t feature that same excitement, because this Falcon 9 rocket won’t have enough fuel to make a return trip.
SpaceX Set to Launch Final Inmarsat Global Xpress Satellite
Key Takeaways:
- SpaceX's upcoming Falcon 9 launch for the Inmarsat-5 Flight 4 satellite will not feature a first stage return.
- The heavy Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite requires all the rocket's fuel to reach Geostationary Transfer Orbit, making a return trip impossible.
- The Inmarsat-5 F4 is the fourth and final satellite for the Global Xpress system, which delivers worldwide high-speed broadband.
- Despite this expendable mission, SpaceX expects such non-recovery launches to become rare in the future.
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