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Feb. 6 (UPI) -- SpaceX successfully launched its Hispasat Amazonas Nexus mission Monday evening after it had been scrubbed on Sunday because of inclement weather. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on time at 8:32 p.m. EST on Monday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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The satellite features Ka-band capacity to optimize communications between the gateways and the satellite, allowing an increase in the total on-board capacity available for commercial use.
It will provide coverage for North America, the north and south Atlantic corridors, and Greenland, according to Hispasat, a communications company based in Spain.
"The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched SES-22, ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 1, and three Starlink missions," SpaceX said in a statement. "Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean."
At about 8:42 p.m. EST, the first stage booster successfully landed for a vertical touchdown a few hundred miles off the Florida coast.
Following a day of delays due to unfavorable conditions on Sunday, the rocket lifted off under 95% favorable conditions. The rocket reached a speed exceeding 16,757 mph while at an altitude of more than 104 miles, before the start of the second stage engines.
The second stage engine reignited at about 9 p.m. EST, burning for about a minute before stopping.
Hispasat said it has reached multiple business agreements to lease the long-term capacity with operators and service providers in the governmental and connectivity fields for the aviation sector and in remote areas.
