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  Blue hour at SLC-40, where SpaceX’s Falcon 9 B1049.6 stands ready to loft the 11th batch of Starlink satellites. [credit:
  Trevor Mahlmann ]

Let’s spare a moment of thought for B1049, a Falcon 9 first-stage booster that made its debut in September 2018 by launching the Telstar 18V commercial mission. Then, in January 2019, the core launched another commercial mission, sending a passel of Iridium satellites into space.

Both were successes. Since then the first stage has lofted three different Starlink missions into low-Earth orbit as SpaceX seeks to build out a constellation of satellites to provide broadband Internet from space.

The Starlink platform may eventually turn into a very profitable business for SpaceX, although there remains a lot of work to do in regard to ground stations to receive signals, compliances with regulations, and more. But what is unquestionable is that launching Starlink missions has allowed SpaceX to push the boundaries of reuse with its Falcon 9 rocket.