Launch with IXPE Space Observatory successfully completed

Falcon 9 rocket launch with IXPE mission (Source: NASA / Joel Kowski)

Falcon 9 rocket launch with IXPE mission (Source: NASA / Joel Kowski)

At 07:00 (06:00 UTC) Polish time on December 9, the Falcon 9 rocket took off from the LC-39A platform. Kennedy (KSC) in Florida and the IXPE Space Observatory launched into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Charge separation occurred within 33 minutes of take-off.

IXPE is a joint venture between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). It is a space observatory that studies the polarization of X-rays coming from various objects in space. The Falcon 9 satellite was placed in an orbit 600 km above the Earth. You can read more about payload and mission in the pre-launch article.

In this flight, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, previously engaged in four missions, was used: Crew-1 In November 2020, Crew-2 In April 2021, SXM-8 In June 2021, or CRS-23 In August 2021. After the second phase of separation, the booster landed on an autonomous platform Read the instructions (JRTI) in the Atlantic Ocean.

It was also planned to recover the cargo covers of the rocket from the sea surface after the launch of the ship. Dog. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

The full boot clip can be found below.