Falcon 9 launches ASBM and Falcon 9 first stage landing

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched the Space Norway Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) to Molniya transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on 12 August 2024, at 02:02 UTC (11 August, at 19:02 PDT). Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, stationed in the Pacific Ocean. Falcon 9’s first stage (B1061) previously supported 21 missions: Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar-2 FM15, EROS C-3, Korea 425, Maxar 1 and 10 Starlink missions. The Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) employs two satellites designed to operate in a highly elliptical orbit to expand broadband coverage to the Arctic region for the U.S. Space Force and Space Norway. Credit: Northrop Grumman/SpaceX