SpaceX has achieved a major milestone in its space exploration journey by successfully completing its 500th orbital mission using a previously flown rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:21am EDT (9:51am IST). Satellite details Sentinel-6B satellite: A milestone in ocean monitoring The Sentinel-6B satellite is part of the European Union's Copernicus Earth-observing program. Reusability impact Paving the way for future missions SpaceX has been at the forefront of making space exploration more sustainable with its reusable rocket technology. Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO, congratulated her team on completing 500 missions with flight-proven rocket boosters.