Author Topic: SpaceX F9 : Starlink v1.0 L23 : CCSFS SLC-40 : 7 April 2021 (1634 UTC) (Read 55531 times)

scr00chy · « **Reply #40 on:** 04/07/2021 10:18 am »

Visual mission profile by ElonX.net

SPKirsch · « **Reply #41 on:** 04/07/2021 01:11 pm »

New article:
https://twitter.com/TGMetsFan98/status/1379780372691570690

Quote

Today's Starlink mission will utilize a booster making its seventh flight and two flight proven fairing halves.

Lee Kanayama (@Falcon_1e) previews:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/04/spacex-launch-starlink-l23/

jjerjackson · « **Reply #42 on:** 04/07/2021 01:23 pm »

As I understand it, they are calling the Falcon 9 first stage a booster, regardless of if it is used as Falcon 9 (single stick) or as a side booster to Falcon Heavy. And the side boosters for 2 FH launches have been flight proven. So 55 flight proven Falcon 9 launches (single stick, data point 2 on the list) and 4 flight proven Falcon 9 cores (boosters) used as the side boosters on FH, gives 59 Flight proven booster launches total (data point 3 on the list).

Respectfully,

James

mandrewa · « **Reply #43 on:** 04/07/2021 01:44 pm »

Quote from: Citabria on 04/07/2021 01:14 pm

Quote from: Herb Schaltegger on 04/07/2021 02:55 am
I don’t get the difference between the second and third stat above. How is “re-flight of a booster” different than “flight with a flight-proven booster.”

The word 'booster' is the source of confusion. Too many people say booster meaning first stage. A booster is a helper, such as a SRB, so a F9 has no booster and a FH has two.

It seems more than a bit late to try to make that distinction. Practically everyone is the community is referring to the first stage of the Falcon 9 as, at different times, but by the same person, either the first stage or the booster. And it's already the case that the SuperHeavy is being described as a booster.

And then as a point of logic, distinguishing between the first stage of the Falcon Heavy and its boosters seems a little awkward given that they are almost the same thing. And then it's claimed, although we haven't seen it happen yet, that the boosters of the Falcon Heavy can be readily converted into first stages for the Falcon 9.

And then to add to the confusion, the Russians have all along named their 'boosters' first stages and their second stages first stages. So if we followed the Russian terminology, the Falcon Heavy's two side boosters are first stages and the center core is the second stage.

And then finally given the generalized meaning of the word booster, it does seem more descriptive of what a reusable first stage, or booster, is doing. So I'm for one not unhappy to see this shift in meaning.

Jansen · « **Reply #44 on:** 04/07/2021 01:51 pm »

Booster 1058.7 is vertical

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #45 on:** 04/07/2021 03:01 pm »

https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1379811188058509314

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Good morning from Kennedy Space Center, where we can see a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the pad at nearby Launch Complex 40. Liftoff of 24th Starlink set for 1234 ET.

Slight return to normalcy here. MLP rolling around, parking lots fuller than usual, KSCVC tour buses out and about.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #46 on:** 04/07/2021 03:39 pm »

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #47 on:** 04/07/2021 03:39 pm »

Edit to add: NSF now live

Jansen · « **Reply #48 on:** 04/07/2021 03:49 pm »

NSF live coverage has begun

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #49 on:** 04/07/2021 03:56 pm »

https://twitter.com/emrekelly/status/1379825386289266693

Jansen · « **Reply #50 on:** 04/07/2021 03:57 pm »

LD go for prop load

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #51 on:** 04/07/2021 04:07 pm »

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1379828046333505536

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T-30 minutes until launch of Starlink; Falcon 9 and weather are looking good for flight. Webcast will go live ~15 minutes before liftoff → spacex.com/launches

Jansen · « **Reply #52 on:** 04/07/2021 04:16 pm »

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1379830330895515648

Jansen · « **Reply #53 on:** 04/07/2021 04:21 pm »

SpaceX coverage has begun, with Jessie Anderson hosting.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #54 on:** 04/07/2021 04:29 pm »

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1379833063220334592

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Shelia Bordelon received her first shoutout on the launch webcast, note carefully wording as a "contracted recovery vessel"

Further backing my speculation that Shelia is not the permanent recovery ship going forward.

Jansen · « **Reply #55 on:** 04/07/2021 04:31 pm »

Strongback retraction

Jansen · « **Reply #56 on:** 04/07/2021 04:33 pm »

Falcon in startup

Jansen · « **Reply #57 on:** 04/07/2021 04:35 pm »

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1379835141577715713

Jansen · « **Reply #58 on:** 04/07/2021 04:38 pm »

Stage separation and fairing separation, no onboard video

cpushack · « **Reply #59 on:** 04/07/2021 04:38 pm »

No onboard video came as a surprise to the ost so maybe wasnt planned