SpaceX launched the second of two satellites for Eutelsat on November 3 to resupply one of the largest broadcast systems in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. A Falcon 9 carrying the Hotbird 13G satellite for the French operator took off at 01:22 Eastern Time from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The all-electric satellite separated from the rocket in geostationary transfer orbit approximately 35 minutes later. According to Eutelsat, Hotbird 13G was successfully initialized over a three-hour period to begin heading toward its orbital slot at 13 degrees west with onboard propulsion.
The Falcon 9 first stage successfully landed on a SpaceX drone in the Atlantic Ocean for recycling shortly after launch. The booster has been used in six other SpaceX missions, including cargo and crew deliveries to the International Space Station, the launch of a Turkish satellite and a spacecraft batch for the Starlink broadband constellation.