SpaceX is targeting Saturday, May 15 for its next Starlink mission launching aboard Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous window is at 6:54 p.m. EDT, or 22:54 UTC, and a backup opportunity is available on Sunday, May 16 at 6:33 p.m. EDT, or 22:33 UTC. On board this mission are 52 Starlink satellites, a Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, and Tyvak-0130.The Falcon 9 first stage booster that supported this mission previously launched NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, and three Starlink missions. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be located in the Atlantic Ocean. One half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously supported the SXM-7 mission, and the other previously supported the NROL-108 mission.
Each Starlink satellite weights approximately 260 kg and features a compact, flat-panel design that minimizes volume, allowing for a dense launch stack to take full advantage of Falcon 9’s launch capabilities. With four powerful phased array and two parabolic antennas on each satellite ... At end of their life cycle, the satellites will utilize their on-board propulsion system to deorbit over the course of a few months. In the unlikely event their propulsion system becomes inoperable, the satellites will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere within 1-5 years, significantly less than the hundreds or thousands of years required at higher altitudes. Further, Starlink components are designed for full demisability.Starlink is targeting service to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021. Additional information on the system can be found at starlink.com.
Scheduled:Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)2021May 9 NET May - Starlink flight 27 28 (x60) [v1.0 L27] - Falcon 9-117 (1051.10 S) - Canaveral SLC-40 - 06:42:45(Starlink: launch 20-22 minutes earlier/day)May 15 Q2 April? mid May - Starlink flight 28 27 (x52 x60) [v1.0 L26], Capella 6, Tyvak-0130 - Falcon 9-118 (1058.8 S) - Kennedy LC-39A - 22:56 22:54 22:58(Starlink: launch 20-22 minutes earlier/day)May 17 - SBIRS-GEO 5, TDO-3, TDO-4 - Atlas V 421 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 17:35NET May 26 - Starlink flight 29 (x60) [v1.0 L28] - Falcon 9-119 (1063.2 S) - Canaveral SLC-40 - ~19:00(Starlink: launch 20-22 minutes earlier/day)June 1? NET Q2 - SiriusXM SXM-8 - Falcon 9 (S) - Canaveral SLC-40 - 04:25June 3 early June - Dragon v2 SpX-22 (CRS-22) - Falcon 9 (1067.1 S) - Kennedy LC-39A - ~17:00(ISS flights: launch 22-26 minutes earlier/day)Mid-June? - Starlink flight 30 (x60) [v1.0 L29] - Falcon 9 (S) - Kennedy LC-39A? / Canaveral SLC-40(Starlink: launch 20-22 minutes earlier/day)June 17 July - GPS III SV05 - Falcon 9 (B1062.2 S) - Canaveral SLC-40 - 22:00-01:00 June 18(GPS: launch about 4 minutes earlier/day)June 23 - STP-3: STPSat-6, LDPE-1, small satellite (x6) - Atlas V 551 - Canaveral SLC-41Changes on March 13thChanges on March 16thChanges on March 23rdChanges on March 27thChanges on March 31stChanges on April 2ndChanges on April 4thChanges on April 7thChanges on April 15thChanges on April 16thChanges on April 19thChanges on May 4thChanges on May 6thChanges on May 9thChanges on May 11thChanges on May 12thChanges on May 13thChanges on May 14thChanges on May 15thzubenelgenubi
It could be referring to a different mission but SpaceX has used "Starlink-xx" nomenclature in an STA request for the first time (that I'm aware of) "Starlink-26" is NET May 13th.https://fcc.report/ELS/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Corp-SpaceX/0628-EX-ST-2021
Overview:Capella 5&6 will be launched no earlier than April 2021, on a 53degorbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km. For the purpose of this document, the worstcase altitude in terms of lifetime of 600 km will be used....Launch:Capella 5&6 are currently planned to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket,no earlier than April 2021.Mission Duration:Maximum Nominal Operations: 3 years, Post-Operations Orbit life-time: less than 3 years until reentry via atmospheric orbital decay (worst case less than 6years in total).Orbit Profile:Capella 5&6 will deploy from the launch vehicle into a near-circular 53deginclined orbit at an altitude of 575 km. They will maintain an altitude between 475 and 600km using a RF xenon propulsion system for 3 years.2. Physical Description of the Spacecraft:Capella satellites have a launch mass between100 kg and 120 kg. Two 500mm x 900mm deployable solar arrays, a 8m2deployable antenna and a 3m long boom deploy from the principal bus structure.
Another Starlink mission is planned in mid-May with a Falcon 9 launch from pad 39A.
Launch time: 2258 GMT (6:58 p.m. EDT)Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
100304Z MAY 21NAVAREA IV 391/21(11,12,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 152158Z TO 160046Z MAY, ALTERNATE 162136Z TO 170024Z, 172115Z TO 180003Z, 182053Z TO 182341Z, 192032Z TO 192320Z, 202010Z TO 202258Z, 211949Z TO 212236Z MAY IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-40-20N 80-38-38W, 29-13-00N 80-02-00W, 29-05-00N 79-54-00W, 28-34-00N 80-23-00W, 28-30-10N 80-32-53W. B. 31-59-00N 76-53-00W, 33-32-00N 75-42-00W, 33-46-00N 74-38-00W, 33-25-00N 74-15-00W, 32-42-00N 74-25-00W, 31-40-00N 76-35-00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 212336Z MAY 21.
100327Z MAY 21HYDROPAC 1386/21(61,75,76).SOUTHEASTERN INDIAN OCEAN.DNC 03, DNC 04, DNC 05.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 160018Z TO 160245Z MAY, ALTERNATE 162356Z TO 170223Z, 172335Z TO 180202Z, 182313Z TO 190140Z, 192252Z TO 200119Z, 202230Z TO 210057Z, 212209Z TO 220035Z MAY IN AREA BOUND BY 29-43S 060-07E, 24-55S 064-27E, 38-45S 084-30E, 45-12S 099-45E, 49-46S 119-13E, 50-42S 138-19E, 48-50S 156-44E, 51-46S 158-08E, 54-42S 148-32E, 56-20S 131-03E, 55-52S 107-50E, 49-11S 085-05E, 34-32S 064-13E.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 220135Z MAY 21.
We know that the shared mission of Starlink seems that it will not be L26, however, I contacted Predasar and they told me that the launch of their satellite will be at the end of this year, there is no launch date yet.
102127Z MAY 21NAVAREA IV 394/21(11,12,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 152158Z TO 160046Z MAY, ALTERNATE 162136Z TO 170024Z, 172115Z TO 180003Z, 182053Z TO 182341Z, 192032Z TO 192320Z, 202010Z TO 202258Z, 211949Z TO 212236Z MAY IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-40-20N 080-38-38W, 29-13-00N 080-02-00W, 29-05-00N 079-54-00W, 28-34-00N 080-23-00W, 28-30-10N 080-32-53W. B. 31-41-00N 077-10-00W, 33-32-00N 075-42-00W, 33-46-00N 074-38-00W, 33-25-00N 074-15-00W, 32-42-00N 074-25-00W, 31-31-00N 77-00-00W.2. CANCEL NAVAREA IV 391/21.3. CANCEL THIS MSG 212336Z MAY 21.
As one mission ends, another begins. The action is almost nonstop here in the port!Fairing scooper, Shelia Bordelon, has departed Port Canaveral ahead of this weekend’s #Starlink mission.
Mission Overview:Capella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km. For the purpose of this document, the worst case altitude in terms of lifetime of 600 km will be used for C-6. Capella 5 will be launched in June 2021, on a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude between 500km and 550km.
QuoteMission Overview:Capella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km. For the purpose of this document, the worst case altitude in terms of lifetime of 600 km will be used for C-6. Capella 5 will be launched in June 2021, on a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude between 500km and 550km.
Just received clarification from @SpaceX that there are only 52 #Starlink satellites and 2 rideshares on this launch.
CelesTrak has pre-launch SupTLEs for the #Starlink V1.0-26 launch scheduled for 2021-05-15 22:54 UTC.
I don't know for sure which Starlink flight it's on.Quote from: gongora on 05/12/2021 10:20 pmhttps://fcc.report/IBFS/SAT-MOD-20210512-00067QuoteMission Overview:Capella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km. For the purpose of this document, the worst case altitude in terms of lifetime of 600 km will be used for C-6. Capella 5 will be launched in June 2021, on a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude between 500km and 550km.
https://fcc.report/IBFS/SAT-MOD-20210512-00067QuoteMission Overview:Capella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km. For the purpose of this document, the worst case altitude in terms of lifetime of 600 km will be used for C-6. Capella 5 will be launched in June 2021, on a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude between 500km and 550km.
Quote from: TS Kelso tweetJust received clarification from @SpaceX that there are only 52 #Starlink satellites and 2 rideshares on this launch.Celestrak shows 569x582, so this is Capella ridesharehttps://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/supplemental/
What is the other rideshare payload aboard Flight 26?
Capella confirms to me they have one radar satellite launching on the Falcon 9 mission Saturday evening. The identity of the other rideshare payload remains unclear, for now.
I'm waiting for the final pre-flight blurb from SpaceX before believing there are two rideshare payloads. The switch from two to one Capella sat was quite late.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1393305828342468613
Tyvak-0130 is described in a NOAA commercial remote sensing filing as “an optical spectrum astronomy observation satellite”… https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/CRSRA/files/Tyvak-0130_NOAA_Summary.pdf
LAUNCH, LANDING, AND DEPLOYMENTAll Times ApproximateHR/MIN/SEC EVENT00:01:12 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)00:02:31 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)00:02:35 1st and 2nd stages separate00:02:43 2nd stage engine starts00:03:16 Fairing deployment00:06:42 1st stage entry burn complete00:08:28 1st stage landing00:08:42 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)00:54:38 2nd stage engine restarts00:54:42 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)00:56:53 Tyvak-0130 deploys01:00:23 Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite deploys01:38:10 Starlink satellites deployA bit different than usual
Quote from: Jansen on 05/14/2021 10:00 pmLAUNCH, LANDING, AND DEPLOYMENTAll Times ApproximateHR/MIN/SEC EVENT00:01:12 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)00:02:31 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)00:02:35 1st and 2nd stages separate00:02:43 2nd stage engine starts00:03:16 Fairing deployment00:06:42 1st stage entry burn complete00:08:28 1st stage landing00:08:42 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)00:54:38 2nd stage engine restarts00:54:42 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)00:56:53 Tyvak-0130 deploys01:00:23 Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite deploys01:38:10 Starlink satellites deployA bit different than usualSeems like the second burn of S2 is 2 seconds longer than L27, maybe higher orbit for ride share payloads? Which can explain why there is only 52 satellites...
Is the LV erected yet at the pad?
SpaceX has raised a Falcon 9 rocket on pad 39A in Florida for launch with 54 satellites at 6:54pm EDT (2254 GMT).There’s a 70% chance of good weather for launch at the Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX is also tracking weather in the booster landing area.spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/15/fal…
New T-0 of 6:56 p.m. EDT, 22:56 UTC, for today’s Starlink mission
Launch director just gave approval for propellant loading.
T-20 minute vent. All on track in the countdown.➡️youtube.com/watch?v=Xoh2xE…
OCISLY droneship with some product placement.
A daytime Falcon 9 launch; Starlink V1 L26.@space_explored
Starlink 28 launch from Playalinda Beach. Feels good to be back on home turf after so many Starship trips! 🏝🚀📸 -Myself for @SpaceflightIns
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship!
Falcon 9 B1058-8 lands on OCISLY.Another bullseye.They used to call the first stage of rockets "dumb boosters". Not anymore!
I noticed the last few F9 landings have had pretty good coverage during landing. I know many reentering vehicles have to contend with reentry plasma blocking out communications, and that often there's some hole off the rear of the reentry plasma where RF can sneak out.
Probably our most picturesque landing to date. Holy moly 🤩
I fixed the camera angle.
Whoa, this orientation made my stomach flip 😆
Falcon 9 clears the tower for the 8th time with today’s Starlink mission, which is also carrying 2 rideshare payloads (Capella Whitney 4 and Tyvak-0130). This is the 3rd Falcon 9 to fly in just 11 days! It’s busy out here, y’all!Mission overview: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/spacex-starlink-rideshare-milestone-nears/
Quote from: thirtyone on 05/15/2021 11:20 pmI noticed the last few F9 landings have had pretty good coverage during landing. I know many reentering vehicles have to contend with reentry plasma blocking out communications, and that often there's some hole off the rear of the reentry plasma where RF can sneak out.By the time you’re into the landing burn, any RF interference from plasma should be negligible.Prob just upgraded comms gear for more bandwidth.
Deployment of Tyvak-0130 and a Capella Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite confirmed
[Just have to figure out how to get the droneship side video a little more real-time...
Thank you @SpaceX for another smooth ride to Low Earth Orbit. Another Capella #SAR satellite has been deployed and our satellite operations team is working hard to establish contact and initiate calibration. Stay tuned for more updates.
Capella off first, in contrast to the prelaunch press info
Original ITU filing for Tyvak-0130 had 37deg 500km
Capella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km.
QuoteOriginal ITU filing for Tyvak-0130 had 37deg 500kmQuoteCapella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km.It seems logical that Tyvak-0130 would deploy first into a lower orbit, but I’m not an expert on orbital mechanics.
Quote from: Jansen on 05/16/2021 12:19 amQuoteOriginal ITU filing for Tyvak-0130 had 37deg 500kmQuoteCapella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km.It seems logical that Tyvak-0130 would deploy first into a lower orbit, but I’m not an expert on orbital mechanics.They end up in the same orbit regardless since there are no propulsive maneuvers by the 2nd stage between deployments.
Quote from: jcm on 05/15/2021 11:53 pmCapella off first, in contrast to the prelaunch press infoIt could also be that the production team got it reversed. Don’t think the payload names were called out on the mission control feed.
Quote from: ugordan on 05/16/2021 12:27 amQuote from: Jansen on 05/16/2021 12:19 amQuoteOriginal ITU filing for Tyvak-0130 had 37deg 500kmQuoteCapella 6 will be launched in May 2021, on a 53deg orbit at an altitude between 550km and 600km.It seems logical that Tyvak-0130 would deploy first into a lower orbit, but I’m not an expert on orbital mechanics.They end up in the same orbit regardless since there are no propulsive maneuvers by the 2nd stage between deployments.The orbit is 581.1 by 569.2 km, not quite circular.
We have officially made first contact with our #SAR satellite following today's mission with @SpaceX. The satellite is in good health and will now undergo commissioning. We look forward to sharing our first light images. Until then enjoy a #SpaceSelfie from LC39A!
Very nice!I had not noticed this on previous Starlink launches but the rotation rate before Starlink deployment was considerable.Immediately after the satellites deploy the second stage halts it's rotation.Obviously this has happened on previous deployments as the Starlink stacks drift away as they have always done, without leaving the field of view of the camera.All that's left for a perfect launch is to hear about fairing recovery, second stage deorbit., and a good grip with the Octograbber.
Falcon 9 basks in the evening sun - the 8th trip for this booster which first launched Bob and Doug nearly a year ago.The first stage pulled off yet another landing downrange on Of Course I Still Love You.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/spacex…
how was the view with binoculars? could you make out any distinct vehicles?
Here is a comparison between the telemetry from Starlink L27 and L26.Some differences are:1. Acceleration is generally higher for L26, as you would expect for a lighter payload.2. The L26 S1 time-line is compressed somewhat, especially for the drone-ship landing.3. The L26 S2 profile is less lofted up to SECO, but the apogee after insertion is of course much higher.
CelesTrak has ephemeris-based SupTLEs for all 52 #Starlink V1.0-26 satellites (2021-041) launched May 15 at 2254 UTC. STARLINK-2151 is currently leading the pack, for pass visibility scheduling.
Quote from: OneSpeed on 05/16/2021 12:03 pmHere is a comparison between the telemetry from Starlink L27 and L26.Some differences are:1. Acceleration is generally higher for L26, as you would expect for a lighter payload.2. The L26 S1 time-line is compressed somewhat, especially for the drone-ship landing.3. The L26 S2 profile is less lofted up to SECO, but the apogee after insertion is of course much higher.Thanks; I always enjoy these. How much trouble would it be to add the additional y-axis labels for altitude and acceleration?
Mr. Jonah is finally on the way with OCISLY and B1058-8. There were some white caps at landing so I'm guessing it took a bit before they could board to secure for the voyage.
OCISLY and B1058-8 are well underway towards Port Canaveral.ETA is late evening tomorrow (18th) or dawn on the 19th.
Expecting the fairing from this mission to return tonight between midnight and 3am ET.
Booster inbound. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
The Worm is returning from it's eighth adventure to space after launching 52 Starlink and two rideshare satellites. Tug Jonah and OCISLY are coming down the channel now. You can chat and watch along on the @NASASpaceflight Fleetcam:
Welcome home. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
Dirty worm #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
Octograbber #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
Tyvak, a manufacturer of small satellites, disclosed new details Monday about an experimental spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday, revealing plans to validate compact optical telescopes that could offer a new way to monitor space traffic and orbital debris.
I saw a string of Starlinks last night (~8:45 PM) passing from the southwest to the north east from San Diego (maybe 20 degrees elevation). I took a few still pics with my Pixel 3A telephone on "night sight" and I may post them if you want to see them. My phone could only capture 3 Starlinks per shot so the pics are not nearly as good as is customary here on NSF.What I'd like to know is, "When will the string next pass along the same (or nearly the same) trajectory?" Knowing that I can wait and watch for them.
B1058-8 heading home to be prepared for its next mission.#spacex #booster @elonmusk @AstroBehnken @Astro_Doug @SpaceX
Quote from: aero on 05/23/2021 04:12 pmI saw a string of Starlinks last night (~8:45 PM) passing from the southwest to the north east from San Diego (maybe 20 degrees elevation). I took a few still pics with my Pixel 3A telephone on "night sight" and I may post them if you want to see them. My phone could only capture 3 Starlinks per shot so the pics are not nearly as good as is customary here on NSF.What I'd like to know is, "When will the string next pass along the same (or nearly the same) trajectory?" Knowing that I can wait and watch for them.Heavevs-Above.com has a page specifically for that question. You can look up the Starlink satellites from a particular launch if thats what you want. Note that they disperse along the track pretty quickly. Since you say only three fit in one shot they are already somewhat spread out, but will get more so as time goes on. Being launched into an orbit higher than other Starlink trains, they might not fade as much as those from the usual, lower altitude launches.
We achieved another major milestone at Capella Space last week. On Friday, May 21, we released the first light image from the latest satellite we added to our SAR constellation, launched just 5 days earlier on the SpaceX Starlink 26 mission
Tyvak is seeking experiment authority to operate its Tyvak-0130 satellite in support of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (“CRADA”) entered into with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (“LLNL”) for the purpose of advancing the development of compact telescopes for space-based sensing applications. LLNL developed a Monolithic Telescope (“MonoTele”) technology, which involves the fabrication of an optical sensor using a single monolithic fused silica slab. This approach allows the use of extremely tight tolerances for the optical prescription of the optic, leading to high performance in a compact package. This design approach also is very robust, as the alignment tolerances are held within the glass and not by external metering structures. An optical payload designed using this technology does not require in-orbit focusing or alignment, which greatly simplifies spacecraft design and favorably minimizes spacecraft size, weight and power.The Tyvak-0130 satellite includes two MonoTele sensors developed by LLNL, a threepiece bonded telescope designated “V3” and a single monolith “V4” design. The inclusion of the MonoTele sensors on the Tyvak-0130 satellite is intended to test the application of the sensors for use in commercial space-based earth observation, space situational awareness, and satellite navigation markets. Tyvak has already secured an earth sensing license from NOAA for the operation of these space-based sensors.
