On February 24th, news came that a company announced on the 23rd that at 20:38 Eastern Time on the 22nd, it successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, precisely sending 22 Starlink satellites into low - Earth orbit.
The company was founded in 2002, integrating entrepreneurial spirit into the field of space exploration and breaking the previous situation where space launch activities in the US were almost completely controlled by government agencies.
The company focuses on designing, testing, and manufacturing internal components of space launch systems, including rocket engines such as Merlin, Kestrel, and Draco. Its developed Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles have achieved partial reusability, and the Dragon spacecraft is launched into space orbit by the Falcon 9.
The Falcon 9, a reusable medium - lift launch vehicle developed by the company, completed its first launch on June 4, 2010, and achieved its first recovery on December 21, 2015.