SpaceX Launches 2 Falcon 9 Missions in 38.5 Minutes for Globalstar and US Space Force
Updated
Updated · Spaceflight Now · Aug 16
SpaceX Launches 2 Falcon 9 Missions in 38.5 Minutes for Globalstar and US Space Force
3 articles · Updated · Spaceflight Now · Aug 16
Summary
38.5 minutes separated SpaceX’s two Saturday-night Falcon 9 launches, with one rocket lifting eight Globalstar satellites from Cape Canaveral and the other carrying the classified USSF-366 payload from Vandenberg.
Eight Globalstar spacecraft are meant to replenish the company’s low-Earth-orbit constellation, while the Space Force said USSF-366 flew under a previously awarded National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 task order.
B1090 completed its 14th flight and landed at Landing Zone 40 about eight minutes after liftoff; B1088 also landed safely, marking the 650th Falcon booster recovery.
Globalstar had originally targeted a May 17 launch but delayed it to give teams more time to prepare the satellites, and the mission comes as Amazon’s planned acquisition of Globalstar awaits an expected 2027 close.