SpaceX Makes History Again, Two Successful Rocket Launches In Two Days

Elon Musk’s private space company is on a roll, with SpaceX successfully launching two Falcon 9 rockets in the span of two days. This has never been done before and is set to change the game forever. Naturally, the company wants to up the ante with even more launches in the coming months. At this rate, SpaceX might actually surpass its original goal of 24 launches per year.

Consecutive launches in a 24-48-hour period are the target capability that Musk and SpaceX have set for its rockets. The idea that the company could send a rocket into space to deliver satellites or supplies, have it land, and prep it for launch the next day is something that is absolutely essential for commercial space travel. The rocket that launched off of the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California solidified this commitment, The Verge reports.

Delivering 10 satellites for the Iridium communications company, this recent mission marks the most that SpaceX has done in a year since inception. What’s more, despite rather tumultuous weather conditions, the body of the rocket landed on the remote drone landing pad in the ocean without a hitch.

One of the biggest contributing factors to the successful launches is the new grid fins that the Falcon 9 rockets were outfitted with, Tech Crunch reports. Made of titanium, these fins are fully reusable and won’t require too much refurbishing in order to make it work.

Shifting from shielded aluminum also helped in stabilizing the reentry of the rockets, which the fins are meant to do. This results in the company having fewer problems in landing, which could result in the destruction of its rockets worth millions of dollars. It also saves on the cost of future launches, which finally puts Mars within reach, which is what SpaceX is gunning for.