SpaceX F9 : Starlink Group 4-7 : KSC LC-39A : 3 February 2022 (18:13 UTC)

[Chinakpradhan]

https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1489302670103957506?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

[Chinakpradhan]

https://twitter.com/Zshauladventure/status/1489304920478076928?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

[Chinakpradhan]

https://twitter.com/JennyHPhoto/status/1489307033157476361?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Qhttps://twitter.com/JennyHPhoto/status/1489307923394314245?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

[kdhilliard]

Starlink separation confirmed.

From Starlink Mission Control Audio:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JvCiyvZ_G_o&t=2h23m27s

Starlink separation confirmed.
[20 seconds later]
Mvac engine chill is in progress.
[Mission Control Audio webcast ends 1 minute later]

[Edited to add webcast time-link.]

[RocketLover0119]

Congrats to SpaceX on launch #3 this week!

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1489323574309441541

[edkyle99]

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1489303668872683522?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

Falcon 9 v1.2 is now up to 119 consecutive orbital launch successes, not including the AMOS 6 ground accident.  (v1.1 and v1.2 were intermingled for a bit.)  With v1.1 and v1.2 combined there have been 120 124 consecutive (orbital) successes if I'm counting right.

On two occasions (1983-86 and 1990-96) R-7 based launchers recorded 133 consecutive mission successes.

 - Ed Kyle

[Chinakpradhan]

https://twitter.com/whoisheartbreak/status/1489328981618790403?s=20&t=2mBmKrqEu_4-KpHeVxMjXg

[mandrewa]

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1489303668872683522?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

Falcon 9 v1.2 is now up to 119 consecutive orbital launch successes, not including the AMOS 6 ground accident.  (v1.1 and v1.2 were intermingled for a bit.)  With v1.1 and v1.2 combined there have been 124 consecutive successes if I'm counting right.

On two occasions (1983-86 and 1990-96) R-7 based launchers recorded 133 consecutive mission successes.

 - Ed Kyle

I'm counting 121 consecutive successful Falcon 9 launches.  There were 24 Falcon 9 FT launch attempts, all successful, 12 Falcon Block 4 launch attempts, all successful, and 84 Falcon Block 5 launch attempts, all successful.  Plus we add the last Falcon 9 ver. 1.1 launch attempt, which was successful, and the one before that was a failure.

[edkyle99]

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1489303668872683522?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

Falcon 9 v1.2 is now up to 119 consecutive orbital launch successes, not including the AMOS 6 ground accident.  (v1.1 and v1.2 were intermingled for a bit.)  With v1.1 and v1.2 combined there have been 124 consecutive successes if I'm counting right.

On two occasions (1983-86 and 1990-96) R-7 based launchers recorded 133 consecutive mission successes.

 - Ed Kyle

I'm counting 121 consecutive successful Falcon 9 launches.  There were 24 Falcon 9 FT launch attempts, all successful, 12 Falcon Block 4 launch attempts, all successful, and 84 Falcon Block 5 launch attempts, all successful.  Plus we add the last Falcon 9 ver. 1.1 launch attempt, which was successful, and the one before that was a failure.

121 for Falcon 9.  You are right.  I accidentally included the three Heavy launches.  But we are also both counting the suborbital flight, which means there have only been 120 consecutive successful orbital flights I think.  Eric Berger's 112, then, appears to be only since AMOS 6 and includes the suborbital launch.

 - Ed Kyle

[mandrewa]

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1489303668872683522?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

Falcon 9 v1.2 is now up to 119 consecutive orbital launch successes, not including the AMOS 6 ground accident.  (v1.1 and v1.2 were intermingled for a bit.)  With v1.1 and v1.2 combined there have been 124 consecutive successes if I'm counting right.

On two occasions (1983-86 and 1990-96) R-7 based launchers recorded 133 consecutive mission successes.

 - Ed Kyle

I'm counting 121 consecutive successful Falcon 9 launches.  There were 24 Falcon 9 FT launch attempts, all successful, 12 Falcon Block 4 launch attempts, all successful, and 84 Falcon Block 5 launch attempts, all successful.  Plus we add the last Falcon 9 ver. 1.1 launch attempt, which was successful, and the one before that was a failure.

121 for Falcon 9.  You are right.  I accidentally included the three Heavy launches.  But we are also both counting the suborbital flight, which means there have only been 120 consecutive successful orbital flights I think.  Eric Berger's 112, then, appears to be only since AMOS 6 and includes the suborbital launch.

 - Ed Kyle

Yes, you are right.

[Rondaz]

Falcon 9 rises over the Space Coast for the second time this week.

It’s a good thing booster *and* fairing reuse is working out so well. I get the feeling us locals are in for a busy year! Who’s complaining?

https://twitter.com/spacecoast_stve/status/1489366023329525763

[OneSpeed]

Here is a comparison of the webcast telemetry for Starlink 4-6 and 4-7.

Peas in a pod.

[JuaniX]

My table with times during the launch, created from this tweet:
https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1488923240852377603

CelesTrak has updated the pre-launch SupTLEs for the #Starlink Group 4-7 launch to reflect a new launch date of 2022-02-03 18:13:20 UTC with deployment at 2022-02-03 18:28:55.780 UTC, per @SpaceX: https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/supplemental/

Considered for lift-off and deployment.

And from the official livestream:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UY3fZ6PwuUY

Here it is:
T+min:sec   UTC      Event
00:00      18:13:20      Lift-off
01:00      18:14:20      Supersonic
01:14      18:14:34      MaxQ
02:30      18:15:50      MECO
02:40      18:16:00      Stage sep 1-2
02:49      18:16:09      SES-1
02:54      18:16:14      Fairing sep
06:51      18:20:11      Entry burn
07:11      18:20:31      Entry burn complete
07:57      18:21:17      Transonic
08:28      18:21:48      Landing burn
08:49      18:22:09      Landing
08:59      18:22:19      SECO-1
15:36      18:28:56      Starlink 4-7 deployment

Cheers!

[Lars-J]

https://twitter.com/SciGuySpace/status/1489303668872683522?s=20&t=Xzt-CML8GuVNIIWxsJHn7Q

Falcon 9 v1.2 is now up to 119 consecutive orbital launch successes, not including the AMOS 6 ground accident.  (v1.1 and v1.2 were intermingled for a bit.)  With v1.1 and v1.2 combined there have been 120 124 consecutive (orbital) successes if I'm counting right.

On two occasions (1983-86 and 1990-96) R-7 based launchers recorded 133 consecutive mission successes.

 - Ed Kyle

A response tweet by SpaceX employee Jon Edwards (VP of Falcon Launch Vehicles) on the subject of Amos-6:

https://twitter.com/edwards345/status/1489073789342081025

Jon Edwards @edwards345
Replying to @SciGuySpace
@SciGuySpace We always count AMOS-6 at SpaceX. That was 100% a mission failure.

[scr00chy]

https://twitter.com/LaunchPhoto/status/1489346690062635016?s=20&t=bBSMmNq4too0T56dJpwjcQ

[Chinakpradhan]

https://twitter.com/nkknspace/status/1489312817408737281?s=20&t=8RwxrwYjIUUiEZH5NQhFdg

[edkyle99]

Don't know why Elon is supporting Eric Berger's tweet when it is proved wrong here.

It all depends on one's criteria.  Main problem with Berger's number is that it includes a suborbital launch.  If we're going to include suborbital success strings we're going to have to compare against Minuteman, Polaris, etc., and those ran far beyond this number.  AMOS 6 was obviously a failed launch campaign, but it was not a launch.  Etc.

 - Ed Kyle

[Alexphysics]

If you don't count suborbital launches, take into account Amos 6, and don't count Falcon Heavy flights... Falcon 9 has 111 launches in a row successfully. Eric counting IFA really doesn't change much because the previous record was at 100 so 111 or 112 doesn't matter. Many people seem to not be able to do simple maths these days...

[crandles57]

Don't know why Elon is supporting Eric Berger's tweet when it is proved wrong here.

It all depends on one's criteria.  Main problem with Berger's number is that it includes a suborbital launch.  If we're going to include suborbital success strings we're going to have to compare against Minuteman, Polaris, etc., and those ran far beyond this number.  AMOS 6 was obviously a failed launch campaign, but it was not a launch.  Etc.

 - Ed Kyle

It says

"The Falcon 9 rocket has now flown more consecutive successful missions, 111, than any orbital rocket in history."

If it said 111 consecutive successful orbital flights that would be wrong, but the case of a deliberate suborbital flight by a rocket that has reached orbit many times being successful is clearly 'a successful mission by an orbital class rocket'.

It also seems right to regard the AMOS 6 *mission* as a failure - the payload was destroyed. While there wasn't a flight, there was an unsuccessful mission.

So it seems to me to be entirely accurate and also devoid of any hint of deceitful slight of hand that would be present in a claim of 121 consecutive successful flights. It is the right thing to do to reduce 121 to 112 and the wording is clear and accurate.

[Robotbeat]

Amos 6 wasn’t even a launch attempt. It was a ground testing error if you wanted to call it something. While it is certainly arguable either way, I wouldn’t call this deceitful slight of hand.

Anyway, people will be arguing about it and then SpaceX will (likely) get to 130 in a few months anyway, making it a moot point.