SpaceX to fly a reused first stage this week

Launch of CRS-8 from VAB roof
Ryan Bale // Spaceflight News

 The same first stage booster that launched CRS-8 toward the ISS with BEAM will be launching SES-10, a communications satellite, up to Geostationary Orbit and land back on the droneship. The Falcon 9 will be launched from LC-39A Thursday, March 30th where the first stage will be launched into space for the second time. Gwynne Shotwell stated that it took about 4 months to refurbish the 1st stage from the CRS-8 landing. They hope to reduce that refurbish time to 2 months and eventually down to just one day. SES-10 is a satellite that will broadcast video and television series across Latin America. It weighs around 11,700lbs and will allow the first stage to have enough fuel left over to complete a landing on the droneship, Of

Course I Still Love You (OCISLY). SES announced their agreement with SpaceX in August of 2016 to launch using one of their reused boosters. They're offering customers a 10% discount

CRS-8 booster in Port Canaveral after the first successful
landing at sea.
Ryan Bale // Spaceflight News

on the regular $62 million for using a reused booster for their launch. It will also be one of the six launches on a reused booster that SpaceX intends to launch this year. Two of those six boosters will be used as side cores on the Falcon Heavy Demo Flight sometime this year. A successful recovery of the 1st stage from the SES-10 launch will give SpaceX insight on the performance and reused of the booster.

Another attempt to launch EchoStar XXIII tomorrow morning

SpaceX will be doing their second attempt of launching EchoStar XXIII tomorrow morning at 1:34am EDT from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Tuesday's launch attempt was scrubbed early due to higher than forecasted winds that were unfavourable to launch in. Tomorrow's launch will be an expendable launch in which the first stage will not be landed and will fall into the ocean like a usual rocket does. You can watch the launch on SpaceX's website at http://www.spacex.com/webcast.

EchoStar XXIII poised to launch on Falcon 9 tonight

Photo by: Walter Scriptunas II

Tonight at 1:34 am EDT (Tuesday) the launch window for the launch of EchoStar XXIII opens and extends to 4:04 am EDT. This particular launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will be expendable to meet the requirements for the mission, meaning that the first stage isn't fitted with landing legs or grid fins and no landing will be attempted. The weather currently isn't showing to be favourable for the launch and a backup window will be available on Thursday, March 16that 1:35 am EDT. This is SpaceX's second launch from LC-39a following the successful launch of CRS-10 back in February. EchoStar XXIII is a communications satellite to provide satellite and video delivery solutions and is also a part of the world's fourth largest commercial geosynchronous fleet.