Upgraded SpaceX rocket soars

CAPE CANAVERAL — SpaceX lifted Bangladesh’s first satellite into orbit Friday using an upgraded rocket designed for dozens of repeat flights including back-to-back, same-day launches.

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said launching the same rocket twice within 24 hours will be “crazy hard,” but he hopes to pull off the feat as early as next year.

This latest and final version of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket — capable of more than 10 reflights, possibly even 100 — made its debut Friday. It soared from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center into a hazy afternoon sky, carrying a communication satellite named Bangabandhu-1 after the founding father of Bangladesh. A last-minute abort halted Thursday’s try.

This newest booster landed on an ocean platform following liftoff as planned. The booster will be taken apart for analysis before flying again in a few months. Musk’s goal is to eventually have little if any prep work between launches.

The whole point of reusability — multiple flights with swift turnarounds, airplane-style — is to shave launch costs.

The Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s workhorse, regularly hauling satellites into orbit and supplies to the International Space Station. This new and improved model will be used to launch astronauts for NASA in the coming year.

For this new model, SpaceX enhanced engine performance, strengthened various parts of the rocket and improved the landing gear system. In the most visible change, the segment between the first and upper stages went from white to black with the addition of new thermal insulation.

Musk plans to launch about 30 of these upgraded Falcon 9s before switching to a massive rocket still in development known as the BFR, or Big Falcon Rocket.