SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on has been successfully placed Sky Perfect JSat’s JCSat-14 commercial telecommunications satellite into transfer orbit, with the rocket’s first stage landing gracefully on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. JCSat-14 manufacturer SSL of Palo Alto, California, confirmed that the satellite was healthy in geostationary transfer orbit and sending signals. SSL declined to confirm whether the final launch mass had changed from previous estimates of around 4,700 kilograms.

It was the second consecutive drone-ship touchdown by the rocket’s first stage and was accomplished despite what SpaceX officials had said were particularly challenging conditions due to the velocity necessary for the launch. The previous successful drone-ship landing, performed in April, was done following a launch of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule into low Earth orbit.

Points to Note

• JCSat-14 will operate from 154 degrees east, where it will replace JSat’s JCSat-2A, which was launched in 2002 and formerly called JCSat-8.
• Similarly, JCSat-14 will now be renamed JCSat-2B. Its 26 C-band and 18 Ku-band transponders will deliver television and telecommunications services in Asia, Russia, Oceana and the Pacific islands.
• The Ku-band will also be used to deliver connectivity to maritime and aeronautical customers, and energy platforms, in the Asia-Pacific. It is designed to deliver 10 kilowatts of power to its payload at the end of its 15-year operational life.