SpaceX readies Canada’s Telstar-19 for launch
July 18, 2018
By Chris Forrester
SpaceX is preparing to launch the huge Telstar-19 VANTAGE satellite for Canada’s Telesat operator.
SpaceX is scheduling to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Station between 1am and 6am Florida-time on July 22nd.
The Telstar 19 VANTAGE mission will be the second launch of a Block 5 Falcon 9, and SpaceX will attempt to land the rocket’s booster on its ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ unmanned barge offshore “kicking off the first of at least 10 re-flights with minimal refurbishment, according to CEO Elon Musk.”
If the boosters are successfully refurbished these latest Block 5 Falcon 9s “could fly up to 100 times, meaning SpaceX will only need 30 to 50 total boosters in rotation until its next-generation vehicle, known as Big Falcon Rocket, enters into service in the early 2020s.”