On May 9, SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 60 Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit, as reported by a news website. SpaceX had long identified 10 flights as a goal for Falcon 9 reuse in order to justify the significant investment the company made into reusability.
Before the launch, Elon Musk, CEO, SpaceX, wrote on Twitter, “First time a Falcon rocket booster will reach double digits in flights.”
Reportedly SpaceX is gradually expanding its beta test program for the broadband internet service as the constellation grows. SpaceX noted on the launch webcast that it opened up that beta test program in the last week to people in Austria and France.
After the launch of the Crew-2, Musk was quoted saying, “There doesn’t seem to be any obvious limit to the reusability of the vehicle.”
“We do intend to fly the Falcon 9 booster until we see some kind of a failure with the Starlink missions, have that be a life-leader,” Musk said at the briefing, noting at the time that a tenth flight of a booster was upcoming. “We’re learning a lot of about reusability. It’s a hard problem for rockets.”
