Image: SpaceX
SpaceX on Saturday launched the Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F satellite into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/2aK8VZGm3l
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 15, 2022
The rocket took off at 1:22 a.m. ET/10:22 p.m. PT, with its first stage landing on SpaceX’s Just Read the Instructions droneship around nine minutes later.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship pic.twitter.com/R4X0ClHlXk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 15, 2022
SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F satellite at approximately 1:59 a.m. ET/10:59 p.m. PT. This marked the third successful launch and landing for this particular Falcon 9 rocket. The same booster previously supported SpaceX’s CRS-24 mission, as well as one Starlink launch.
Deployment of Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F confirmed pic.twitter.com/R2t3PuOl8e
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 15, 2022
SpaceX on Friday also brought back Crew-4 astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS).
The company’s Crew Dragon capsule carried NASA Astronauts Kjell N. Lindgren, Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti back to Earth from the ISS, splashing down off the coast of Florida at 4:55 p.m. ET/1:55 p.m. PT on Friday, October 14.
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, @Astro_Kjell, @Astro_FarmerBob, @astro_Watkins, and @AstroSamantha! pic.twitter.com/4zakQ1ZHLY
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2022
Crew-4 returned to Earth after spending 170 days in space aboard the ISS. One of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets launched the Dragon capsule and Crew-4 astronauts to the orbiting laboratory back in April from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Earlier this month, SpaceX launched Crew-5 — NASA’s next crew rotation — to the ISS from the Kennedy Space Center.
