Posted: Sun, Dec 31, 2023, 11:17 AM ET (1617 GMT)
A Falcon 9 booster made a record-setting, but final, flight early Dec. 23. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 12:3 3am EST (0533 GMT) and placed 23 Starlink satellites into orbit. The booster used on the launch made its 19th flight, a record for SpaceX, dating back to the Demo-2 commercial crew mission in 2020. While the booster landed successfully on a droneship in the Atlantic, SpaceX said late Dec. 25 that the booster tipped over on its way back to port because of high winds and heavy seas. The company added that newer boosters have systems to better handle such conditions.

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