Quote from: t21jj on 06/19/2022 04:46 amIf there is a second payload they really don't want to talk about it.Hence SpaceX have their smoothest talking announcer continuously talking to distract viewers from the abnormalities of this launch. Jessie Anderson has been MIA from launch webcast lately.
If there is a second payload they really don't want to talk about it.
Starlink 2.0
From what Elon has provided us, Starlink 2.0 is too large to fit into a F9 fairing.
Doubtful, why would they keep that secret?
Quote from: gongora on 06/19/2022 04:01 pmEveryone keeps mentioning the deployment structure at the top of the T2 stack. It was also on the T3 stack, the flight that had four payloads show up later.You might be onto something here. The grid-shaped structure looks basically identical to the one seen on the Globalstar launch, and there are clearly some Starlink satellites on top of it. The deployment isn‘t shown. And I don‘t know if they ever acknowledged the existence of Starlink satellites on that launch. These USA 320 etc. sats are in 540km orbits, similar to the one our secret payload was deployed in.
Everyone keeps mentioning the deployment structure at the top of the T2 stack. It was also on the T3 stack, the flight that had four payloads show up later.
Quote from: TimTri on 06/19/2022 05:11 pmQuote from: gongora on 06/19/2022 04:01 pmEveryone keeps mentioning the deployment structure at the top of the T2 stack. It was also on the T3 stack, the flight that had four payloads show up later.You might be onto something here. The grid-shaped structure looks basically identical to the one seen on the Globalstar launch, and there are clearly some Starlink satellites on top of it. The deployment isn‘t shown. And I don‘t know if they ever acknowledged the existence of Starlink satellites on that launch. These USA 320 etc. sats are in 540km orbits, similar to the one our secret payload was deployed in.The more simple explanation would be that Starlink-1.5 busses are offered to host other non-Starlink payloads. USA-320 to -323 might be an example. So might be this recent launch
The theory that they're some sort of prototype Starlink 2.0 satellites that they're launching without anyone knowing falls itself apart when you consider the fact that they'd have to be approved by the FCC. If there were any Starlinks in this flight of any kind they would have to be of the older generation and/or be for a government agency which wouldn't necessarily need FCC approval. That or whoever proposes that theory has to include SpaceX comitting an illegal action that could entail the removal of their rights to operate the Starlink constellation.
We spotted @SpaceX Falcon9 B1061 coming back to earth for a drone ship landing off the #NC coast after lofting Globalstar-2 FM-15 to orbit #SpaceX #sobx #obx #NorthCarolina
This is interesting but I really wish people would do some error estimates.What is the uncertainty on the "54 degrees" measured from the launch info? Plus or minus 0.1 deg? or plus or minus 1 deg? or what?