Posted: Sun, Feb 6, 2022, 12:02 PM ET (1702 GMT)
A Falcon 9 launched an Italian radar imaging satellite Monday after days of delays. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 6:11 pm EST (2311 GMT) and deployed the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation 2 satellite into orbit an hour later. The rocket's first stage, originally built as a Falcon Heavy side booster, landed eight minutes after liftoff back at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 1. The Italian satellite was originally to launch on a Vega, but delays in the development of the Vega C led the Italian space agency ASI to purchase a Falcon 9 launch. This was the fourth Falcon 9 launch of the year.

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