After successfully launching 60 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit, SpaceX on Monday failed to stick the landing of its Falcon 9 first-stage booster for the first time in a year.
The two-stage Falcon 9 booster lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral just before 11 p.m. Monday. About nine minutes later, the rocket's first stage returned to Earth to attempt its sixth landing on SpaceX's drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
"It does look like we did not land our booster on 'Of Course I Still Love You' tonight," SpaceX manufacturing engineer Jessica Anderson said during the mission livestream. "It is unfortunate that we did not recover this booster, but our second stage is still on a nominal trajectory."
The Falcon 9 rocket booster, dubbed B1059, led a productive life, having previously flown on two SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (in December 2019 and March 2020) and a Starlink mission last June; it also ferried an Earth-observing satellite for Argentina and a US government spy satellite.
Delayed from Sunday night due to weather, Monday's launch was the first of two planned Starlink dispatches, according to Space.com; another 60 satellites are expected to leave Earth Wednesday on a different rocket.
SpaceX has been distributing a limited number of beta invites for its satellite broadband system for several months, focusing mostly on the northern US and southern Canada. Users on Monday, however, spotted a pre-order option on the website, allowing folks to enter an email address and location to find out when Starlink will arrive locally.
You can pay a refundable $99 pre-order fee to snag a place in line, but depending on where you live, some orders may take six months or more to fulfill. Placing a deposit does not guarantee service, the website noted. Service costs $99 per month, plus a one-time $499 cost for the router/Wi-Fi modem.