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SpaceX launch: commercial satellite Intelsat 40e deployed with NASA Earth science instrument - why it's important

SpaceX launches Intelsat satellite with NASA Earth-observation experiment

Suswati Basu
By Suswati Basu
7th Apr 2023, 8:20am
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SpaceX launched a commercial communications satellite with a NASA Earth science instrument today (7 April). The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The SpaceX Falcon 9's first stage was making its fourth flight, and it will likely launch again in the future. The booster reportedly landed successfully on the company's drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean just under nine minutes after lift-off.

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Ariane 5 rocket lifts off for it's 100th mission to space from Kourou, French Guiana, on September 25, 2018. - It's payload is two satellites: Horizons 3e, a high-throughput communications satellite build by Boeing, and Azerspace-2 / Intelsat 38. (Photo by JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images)Ariane 5 rocket lifts off for it's 100th mission to space from Kourou, French Guiana, on September 25, 2018. - It's payload is two satellites: Horizons 3e, a high-throughput communications satellite build by Boeing, and Azerspace-2 / Intelsat 38. (Photo by JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images)
Ariane 5 rocket lifts off for it's 100th mission to space from Kourou, French Guiana, on September 25, 2018. - It's payload is two satellites: Horizons 3e, a high-throughput communications satellite build by Boeing, and Azerspace-2 / Intelsat 38. (Photo by JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images)

What is the SpaceX Intelsat 40e satellite?

The rocket carried an Intelsat 40e, which is a high-capacity communications satellite that will provide service to customers in North America, South America, Europe, and Africa. The satellite is based on the Boeing 702MP satellite bus and has a design life of 15 years.

In a Twitter post, SpaceX confirmed the deployment of the satellite.

TEMPO, or the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, is a NASA Earth science instrument that will study air pollution in North America. The instrument will measure the concentration of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants in the atmosphere. The launch of Intelsat 40e and TEMPO was SpaceX's 23rd launch of the year. The company is on track to launch more than 50 times in 2023.

Related topics:ScienceNASASpace