SpaceX launches third fleet of spy satellites in 8 days
April 20 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched its third fleet of spy satellites in 8 days on Sunday, its tenth mission of the year in support of the National Reconnaissance Office, the United States' spy satellite agency.
The fleet of Starshield satellites, built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, were aboard a Falcon 9 rocket that launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 5:29 a.m. PDT.
It was the twelfth time the first stage reusable rocket has been used to shuttle a Falcon 9 into low-Earth orbit where the spy satellite payload was released.
Eight minutes after liftoff, the fuel booster returned to the droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The barge has been a mainstay in West Coast SpaceX launches, and has been used more than 130 times to receive a first stage fuel booster following a launch.
It's the latest in a series of what have become nearly routine launches for SpaceX, which is adding to its growing constellation of Starlink internet satellites for both the military and civilian sectors.
Starlink is expected to grow its member-base into the the tens-of-thousands as SpaceX competes with other internet service providers in the United States and around the world.
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