SpaceX Falcon 9 B1051 first stage bids farewell with Galaxy 31 and 32 launch

by | Nov 14, 2022 | Launches, Satellites, SpaceX

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 launch vehicle carrying a pair of communication satellites from Cape Canaveral, USA at 1606 GMT on 12 November.

The vehicle carried Galaxy 31 and 32, a pair of C-band communication satellites to a super-synchronous geosynchronous transfer orbit which allows an easier inclination removal by the satellites as they raise themselves to their geostationary Earth orbits (GEO). The satellites were launched in a dual-stacked configuration, which enabled the simultaneous launch of both.  Built by Maxar’s SSL division, the satellites use the 1300 bus design.

The mission is the third one by SpaceX for Intelsat, which plans to use Galaxy 31 and 32 to clear the C-band 300-400 MHz range for the Federal Communications Commission’s rollout of 5G services. The two satellites are the second pair of a total of seven new Intelsat satellites set to launch over the next six months, as part of Intelsat’s “Galaxy fleet refresh plan” which began with Galaxy 30 in 2020.

The launch also marked the final flight of the B1051 first stage, which was flown as an expendable stage for this mission, and the 14th launch of this booster.

The Intelsat Galaxy-31 and 32 mission was the 52nd for SpaceX in 2022 so far. Courtesy: SpaceX

Jonathan Freeman contributed to this story.

About Seradata

Seradata produce the renowned Seradata database. Trusted by over 100 of the world’s leading Space organisations, Seradata is a fully queryable database used for market analysis, failure/risk assessment, spectrum analysis and space situational awareness (SSA).

For more information go to https://www.seradata.com/product/

Related Articles

Categories

Archives

Tags

nasaspacexecoreviewsissesaArianespacevideochinaFalcon 9v1.2FT Block 525virgin galacticULAfalcon 9RoscosmosevaDGAspacewalkaviation weekaressoyuzIGTInternational Space StationRocket LabBeidouawardsBlue OriginStarlinkspaceSatellite broadcastingrussiamoonboeingAirbus DSISROCargo Return VehicleresearchOneWebmarsblogspaceshiptwojaxaorionmarsimpactdelayhyperbolaEutelsatdemocratrocketlunarhypertextobamagoogle lunar prizelaunchVegabarack obamaconstellationSEStourismnorthfiguresthales alenia spacespaceflightnode 2fundedIntelsatRaymond Lygo2009Lockheed MartinExpress MD-2Elon MuskAtlas Vromess2dassault aviationaviationLucy2008wk2sstlukradiomissilesuborbitaldocking portexplorationAriane 5 ECAVirgin OrbittestinternetLong March 2D/2sts-122Ariane 5Northrop GrummanSLSChina Manned Space EngineeringElectronflightspace tourism2010cotsnewspapermissile defensegalileospaceportExpress AMU 1Long March 4Cbuildspace stationaltairsoyuz 2-1aProton Minternational astronautical congressshuttlespace shuttleEuropean Space AgencyLauncherOneCosmosIntelsat 23scaled compositesnew yorkrulesAriane 6hanleybudgetatvVietnamshenzhoucongressMojaveboldenLong March 2COrbital ATKInmarsatcnesnew shepardiaclunar landerGuiana Space CenterkscApollolawsSpace Systems/LoralUK Space AgencyLong March 4BKuaizhou 1AILSprotonUS Air ForceTalulah RileydarpaElectron KSFalcon 9v1.2 Block 5Vega CeuAstriumSkylonpicturebaseusaastronautdragonlanderfiveeventTelesatNorth KoreaSSLAprilSNC50thinterviewLong MarchSea LaunchfalconWednesdaycustomerlinkatlantissuccessor