SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA at 2221 GMT on 18 June.
The vehicle was carrying SATRIA, (“Satellite of the Republic of Indonesia”), a Ka-band high-throughput communications satellite designed to provide broadband access for schools, government offices, security and military, and health clinics. Satria, which is believed to have cost over US$545 million, will be operated by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN).
The upper stage took SATRIA to geosynchronous transfer orbit and successfully deployed it there around 37 minutes after liftoff.
The launch marked the 39th of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch in 2023 so far.