The U.S. private space company SpaceX on Wednesday launched the Falcon 9 rocket carrying Canada's RADARSAT Constellation from Vandenberg Air Force Base in the state of California.

 

美国SpaceX太空探索技术公司周三在加州范登堡空军基地用猎鹰9号火箭将三颗加拿大卫星送入太空。

 

The rocket, carrying the RADARSAT Constellation which includes three Earth observation satellites, blasted off at 7:17 a.m. Pacific Time (1417 GMT) from Space Launch Complex-4E at the air force base.

 

About eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage successfully returned to land at SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 at the air force base, according to the SpaceX live broadcast.

 

About one hour later, the three radar-imaging satellites were deployed to orbit.

 

Prior to this mission, SpaceX has successfully landed a first stage booster on land 14 times and has recovered Falcon 9 first stages from 26 missions at sea using the company's Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships, according to the Hawthorne, California-headquartered company.

 

The three-satellite configuration will provide daily revisits of Canada's vast territory and maritime approaches, as well as daily access to any point of 90 percent of the world's surface, according to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

 

The RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) is Canada's newest generation of radar Earth observation satellites that will contribute to a better understanding of Canada's land and natural resources. The expected lifespan of RCM is seven years for each satellite.

 

The mission is designed to provide effective solutions in three main areas: maritime surveillance, disaster management and ecosystem monitoring, according to the CSA.

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