WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A Falcon 9 carrier rocket with the SAOCOM 1B radar observation satellite has lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SpaceX reports.
“Tonight’s launch is an especially exciting one. It’s SpaceX’s first polar orbit launch from the Cape – meaning that on its way to space, Falcon 9 will fly south along the eastern coast of Florida,” SpaceX said on Twitter, where the Sunday launch was broadcast live.
The SAOCOM 1B mission lifted off at 7:18 p. m. EDT (23:18 GMT) on Sunday. Another planned Falcon 9 launch was cancelled on Sunday because of bad weather.
The Sunday mission intends to put the Argentine SAOCOM 1B remote sensing satellite into orbit around Earth’s poles. Two other, American, satellites (GNOMES 1 and Tyvak 0172) were also added to the flight, which is the first polar launch from Florida since 1969.
Later in the day, SpaceX announced that “Falcon 9’s first stage returns to Earth and lands at Landing Zone 1”.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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