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.
Added a bunch of upcoming SpaceX launches to NextSpaceflight and some booster assignments. https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/agency/upcoming/1/<snip>Starlink Group 4-20 by the end of the month [June] (again betting on 39A but don't have confirmation on pads for [any] of these missions...well, except for the Vandy ones I guess lol).
<snip>And then in July and sort of in this order:<snip>Starlink Group 4-21 from Florida (I'd say pad 40 is likely) using B1058-13<snip>Starlink Group 4-25 from Florida (betting all my money on pad 40 for this one) using B1051-13
Quote from: Alexphysics tweetSo remember that thing about B1049-11 being expended for Nilesat 301? Well, that has changed. This booster surely likes to change missions. Nilesat 301 is now launching on B1062-7 which previously flew on Starlink Group 4-16 in late April.
So remember that thing about B1049-11 being expended for Nilesat 301? Well, that has changed. This booster surely likes to change missions. Nilesat 301 is now launching on B1062-7 which previously flew on Starlink Group 4-16 in late April.
Oh I forgot... B1069-2 is flying on Starlink Group 4-26. NET August from Florida.
Saw this FCC filing (SES-MOD-20220614-00645) for communication with Varuna spacecraft (0279-EX-CN-2022), which turns out to be the Sherpa-LTC that's scheduled to fly on a Starlink rideshare. It's a V-band tech demo for Boeing, built by Astro Digital, with the Sherpa serving as the body of the satellite. It will climb to the ~1050km, 54 degree orbit approved for the Boeing V-band constellation and be used for testing and demos. The ODAR filed [on March 15] gave an August launch date and deployment at 280km [circular], don't know if that is still the current plan.
1248-EX-ST-2022Mission 1782 Starlink Group 4-20 from Cape Canaveral FL at LC-40 CCAFS or LC-39a at KSCASDS North 32 36 46 West 75 50 33NET late August
Did 4-20 get skipped? I was wondering as 4-2 also got skipped.
One of the upcoming Starlink rideshare payloadshttps://spaceflight.com/good-vibes-next-propulsive-sherpa-clears-vibration-testing/[August 1]
Our next Sherpa orbital transfer vehicle is closer to launch!Our chemical propulsion OTV, Sherpa-LTC, which will fly on an upcoming Starlink mission, recently underwent rigorous vibration testing at NTS’s Santa Clarita facility. <snip>Next, the Benchmark Space Systems’ Polaris propulsion subsystem successfully underwent environmental tests and integrated hotfire testing with the Command and Control System. Subsequently the team completed our Integration Readiness Review. The system is now undergoing final integration for flight at Spaceflight’s new headquarters.
Possible rideshare? ODAR file attached with original post.Quote from: gongora on 06/14/2022 11:10 pmSaw this FCC filing (SES-MOD-20220614-00645) for communication with Varuna spacecraft (0279-EX-CN-2022), which turns out to be the Sherpa-LTC that's scheduled to fly on a Starlink rideshare. It's a V-band tech demo for Boeing, built by Astro Digital, with the Sherpa serving as the body of the satellite. It will climb to the ~1050km, 54 degree orbit approved for the Boeing V-band constellation and be used for testing and demos. The ODAR filed [on March 15] gave an August launch date and deployment at 280km [circular], don't know if that is still the current plan.
First stage change for Starlink 4-26, according to NextSpaceFlight, updated August 3.It's now 1073.3.1069.2 will now launch Starlink 4-20, same source.
Quote from: mlindner on 07/29/2022 06:13 pmDid 4-20 get skipped? I was wondering as 4-2 also got skipped.Yes and yes.Why 4-20 was skipped? I don't know that we know, yet.Edit: Same for 4-23 and 4-24.
The team from @aerothreads is here and are doing incredible work, hand-sewing the heat shield for our next Sherpa-LTC mission. Putting the "craft" in space craft - incredibly talented ladies!
SPACEFLIGHT INC. PREPARES PROPULSIVE SHERPA OTV TO LAUNCH ON UPCOMING STARLINK MISSIONBy Jodi SorensenOnce deployed from the rocket, the chemical propulsion OTV will ignite and transport a customer payload from 310km circular orbit to a 1,000km orbitSEATTLE/Logan, UT. – August 8, 2022 – Spaceflight Inc., the leading global launch services provider, today announced it shipped the fully integrated Sherpa-LTC orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) and customer payload to Cape Canaveral to launch aboard an upcoming Starlink mission scheduled for next month. The high-thrust propulsive Sherpa will deploy from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 targeting a 310-kilometer circular orbit, before igniting and transporting an undisclosed customer payload, booked through Astro Digital, to a 1,000-kilometer circular orbit.Sherpa-LTC features a bi-propellant, green propulsion subsystem utilizing Benchmark Space Systems’ new Polaris propulsion technology. The revolutionary OTV provides a low-cost, rapid orbital transfer for many sizes of small spacecraft. “Sherpa-LTC’s transportation capabilities coupled with the reliability and consistency of Starlink missions create an ideal solution for the customer’s unique mission needs,” said Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. “Our OTV eliminates the barriers that make it more challenging for spacecraft to access uncommon orbits in LEO and beyond. We’re eager to continue to provide innovative, cost-effective, and dependable in-space transportation services for our customers and partners like Astro Digital.”Spaceflight’s customer and technology partner on this mission, Astro Digital, designed and manufactured the payload launching on Sherpa-LTC, and provided the command and control system known as Makalu, for the Sherpa OTV.“Astro Digital has been proud to partner with Spaceflight’s Sherpa product line, providing command and control solutions for a wide range of OTVs,” said Jack Cohen, program manager of Astro Digital’s Makalu OTV bus platform flown on Sherpa-LTE1 and Sherpa-AC1. “We enjoy collaborative and innovative missions, so we were eager to support this customer in developing the payload and finding a cost-effective launch option to a higher altitude,” said Chris Biddy, CEO and co-founder of Astro Digital. “To ensure mission success, we turned to Spaceflight’s Sherpa OTVs to deliver the customization needed. This approach to launch enabled us to launch our customer’s payload in a timely manner exactly where they want.” Sherpa-LTC is the fourth iteration of Spaceflight’s Sherpa OTV program and will be its fifth vehicle to launch. The OTV’s modular design enables Spaceflight to adapt its features to accommodate specific customer needs, providing customizable in-space transportation services that get spacecraft to their target destinations in a cost-effective and timely manner. In 2021, Spaceflight launched three Sherpa OTVs – Sherpa-FX1, Sherpa-FX2 and Sherpa-LTE1 – that successfully carried 50 spacecraft in total to orbit. Sherpa-AC, which made its debut on SpaceX’s Transporter 5 mission in May 2022, carried two hosted payloads to their desired orbital destinations. Following this Starlink mission, Spaceflight will have successfully launched more than 550 spacecraft across more than 50 missions. Its next notable OTV mission will take place in mid-2023, launching Spaceflight’s Sherpa-ES, a bipropellant, high delta-V OTV, aboard the much-anticipated lunar slingshot mission, GEO Pathfinder.
I expect them to be on separate launches. I don't know that for sure.
The end if the SFN webcast of the August 10 UTC launch of Starlink 4-26 gave mention of the other upcoming August Starlink launches. Starlink 4-20 was not on the list. Therefore, it must be NET the beginning of September.
https://twitter.com/JasonRainbow/status/1557761031233060870QuoteJason Rainbow @JasonRainbowSpaceflight's Sherpa-LTC2 orbital transfer vehicle is on its way to Cape Canaveral for a second attempt to debut the chemically powered space tug on a SpaceX launch - SpaceNewshttps://spacenews.com/spaceflights-chemically-powered-space-tug-heads-for-launch/ [Aug 11]QuoteLOGAN, Utah — Spaceflight shipped its Sherpa-LTC2 orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) Aug. 10 to Cape Canaveral in Florida, where it will make a second attempt to debut the chemically powered space tug on a SpaceX launch....Spaceflight CEO Curt Blake said Sherpa-LTC2 has “gone through all kinds of checks to get things right” ahead of its launch in September.Ahead of its four-to-five-day journey via truck from Seattle to Cape Canaveral, the OTV was integrated with a payload for Boeing’s Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission (Varuna-TDM). The demonstrator aims to test V-band communications for a proposed constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites....SpaceX is slated to launch the OTV as part of a mission to deploy a batch of Starlink broadband satellites that Spaceflight expects will launch to low Earth orbit this fall.If the mission goes according to plan, the Sherpa-LTC2 will deploy from Falcon 9 around 310 kilometers above the Earth, from where the OTV will ignite and transport its customer payload to a 1,000-kilometer low Earth orbit.
Jason Rainbow @JasonRainbowSpaceflight's Sherpa-LTC2 orbital transfer vehicle is on its way to Cape Canaveral for a second attempt to debut the chemically powered space tug on a SpaceX launch - SpaceNewshttps://spacenews.com/spaceflights-chemically-powered-space-tug-heads-for-launch/ [Aug 11]
LOGAN, Utah — Spaceflight shipped its Sherpa-LTC2 orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) Aug. 10 to Cape Canaveral in Florida, where it will make a second attempt to debut the chemically powered space tug on a SpaceX launch....Spaceflight CEO Curt Blake said Sherpa-LTC2 has “gone through all kinds of checks to get things right” ahead of its launch in September.Ahead of its four-to-five-day journey via truck from Seattle to Cape Canaveral, the OTV was integrated with a payload for Boeing’s Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission (Varuna-TDM). The demonstrator aims to test V-band communications for a proposed constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites....SpaceX is slated to launch the OTV as part of a mission to deploy a batch of Starlink broadband satellites that Spaceflight expects will launch to low Earth orbit this fall.If the mission goes according to plan, the Sherpa-LTC2 will deploy from Falcon 9 around 310 kilometers above the Earth, from where the OTV will ignite and transport its customer payload to a 1,000-kilometer low Earth orbit.
If this is of any use... order of launches for August and first half of September was supposed to beKPLO (already launched)Starlink 4-26 (already launched)Starlink 3-3 (currently scheduled for August 12th)Starlink 4-27 (currently scheduled for August 16th)Starlink 3-4 Starlink 4-23 (currently scheduled for August 24th) Starlink 4-20Starlink 4-2I was and I'm still expecting 3-4 and 4-20 to be on for this month. Likely to have 3-4 around the 20th +- a couple of days and 4-20 could likely be anywhere from August 25th to 31st given pad turnaround times. But those are just guesses based on the expectation of those two happening this month. There's definitely room in the schedule for them.
Now that we know that, as gongora surmised, BlueWalker 3 is on Starlink 4-2, and Varuna-TDM is not, what September Starlink Group 4 flight will the Sherpa/Varuna be on?Might Starlink 4-20 also be a rideshare?Or, might Starlink 4-24 also be a rideshare and brought forward from December?
SFN Launch Schedule update, August 15:Starlink 4-20 launch early September.
Astro Digital US, Inc. (“Astro Digital”) requests special temporary authority (“STA”)1 for a period of 30 days to communicate with the Varuna spacecraft (ELS File No. 0279-EX-CN-2022)2, which is owned and controlled by The Boeing Company (“Boeing”), commencing on the deployment of the satellite, which is presently scheduled for September 4, 2022. Astro Digital is providing TT&C ground station support for the Varuna mission.
A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on September 4.
QuoteAstro Digital US, Inc. (“Astro Digital”) requests special temporary authority (“STA”)1 for a period of 30 days to communicate with the Varuna spacecraft (ELS File No. 0279-EX-CN-2022)2, which is owned and controlled by The Boeing Company (“Boeing”), commencing on the deployment of the satellite, which is presently scheduled for September 4, 2022. Astro Digital is providing TT&C ground station support for the Varuna mission.
Apparently SpaceX pulled out a last minute change of booster. This is now B1069-2, explains why they're doing the static fire. 9 new engines for this booster.
I think they just chose to use 69 since it was probably already at 40 undergoing processing for 4-20. 4-23 was originally scheduled to fly from 39A.
A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch on September 4 at 8:32pm EDT.
The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Starlink batch on September 4 at 8:32pm or about 10pm EDT.
The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from pad 40 will launch a Starlink batch on September 4 at 8:32pm or about 10pm EDT.
311907Z AUG 22NAVAREA IV 883/22(11,12,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.FLORIDA.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 050032Z TO 050257Z SEP, ALTERNATE 060010Z TO 060236Z, 062348Z TO 070214Z, 072327Z TO 080153Z, 082305Z TO 090131Z, 092244Z TO 100110Z AND 102222Z TO 110048Z SEP IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-39.13N 080-37.78W, 29-02.00N 080-13.00W, 28-55.00N 080-07.00W, 28-34.00N 080-28.00W, 28-32.35N 080-33.78W. B. 32-05.00N 077-03.00W, 33-26.00N 075-36.00W, 33-46.00N 074-37.00W, 33-28.00N 074-17.00W, 32-37.00N 074-45.00W, 31-38.00N 076-40.00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 110148Z SEP 22.//
Doug do be leavin Port Canaveral.
Droneship do be leavin Port Canaveral.
CelesTrak has pre-launch SupGP data for the #Starlink Group 4-20 launch set for 2022-09-05 at 02:09:40 UTC. Deployment of 51 satellites is planned for 03:22:06.360 UTC: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/.
Per this CelesTrak tweet, launch is planned for 02:09:40 UTC (which would be the same-day backup time):https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1565855734524289024Quote from: T.S. KelsoCelesTrak has pre-launch SupGP data for the #Starlink Group 4-20 launch set for 2022-09-05 at 02:09:40 UTC. Deployment of 51 satellites is planned for 03:22:06.360 UTC: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/.
NGA Rocket Launching notice.
any estimate of no. of starlinks on this mission and for those on 4-2 till now???
Quote from: Chinakpradhan on 09/01/2022 02:20 pmany estimate of no. of starlinks on this mission and for those on 4-2 till now???51 on 4-20.
Quote from: Bean Kenobi on 09/03/2022 10:43 amQuote from: Chinakpradhan on 09/01/2022 02:20 pmany estimate of no. of starlinks on this mission and for those on 4-2 till now???51 on 4-20.Isn't it 50 Starlinks plus the Shepra-LTC2 OTV rideshare for a total of 51 satellites deployed from Starlink group 4-20.
Targeting Sunday, September 4 for Falcon 9’s launch of 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC to orbit from Florida → http://spacex.com/launches/sl4-20/
SpaceX is targeting Sunday, September 4 for a Falcon 9 launch of 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC, an orbital transfer vehicle, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 10:09 p.m. ET (02:09 UTC on September 5), and a backup opportunity is available on Monday, September 5 at 9:39 p.m. ET (01:39 UTC on September 6).The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Arabsat-6A, STP-2, COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2, KPLO, and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff.
According to the official mission page, it's 51 Starlink sats + SHERPA.Also, the booster is B1052.7 instead of B1067.6 as previously reported. That's a pretty wild turnaround because B1052 was still lying in Port Canaveral on August 17:
Good Moaning!🐓☕️☀️HAPPY LAUNCH ATTEMPT DAY!!! 🚀 Tonight, #SpaceX is slated to lift off their #Falcon9 B1052-7 for #Starlink and #VarunaTDMLaunch is expected at 2209 EDT (0209, 09/05 UTC)
It's launch day! Our Sherpa-LTC, carrying an exciting customer payload, is targeted to lift off on the Starlink mission at 22:09 local/Eastern time, 19:09 for those of us on the West coast.🚀
Not just another Starlink mission: tonight, SpaceX will launch a communications technology demonstrator for Boeing, along with 51 Starlink satellites.By Elliot Mai (@Eli_Mai1):https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/09/starlink-group-4-20/
https://twitter.com/tgmetsfan98/status/1566483598223589378QuoteNot just another Starlink mission: tonight, SpaceX will launch a communications technology demonstrator for Boeing, along with 51 Starlink satellites.By Elliot Mai (@Eli_Mai1):https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/09/starlink-group-4-20/
This story implies Varuna will be deployed from Sherpa-LTC; on the contrary documents like the ODAR imply to me thatVaruna consists of two boxes that will remain attached to Sherpa, not separately deployed
Just Read the Instructions droneship is on-station, ~630km downrange, for tonight's Starlink 4-20 mission.Doug is a little further downrange to recover the fairing. Tug Kurt J Crosby is monitoring the droneship.
Is there going to be a NSF live stream for the Starlink 4-20 launch?
Man, holiday weekend and almost nobody shows up. Ho hum, another day, another deploy.
LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1052-7 launches with Starlink Group 4-20 from SLC-40.Overview:nasaspaceflight.com/2022/09/starli…SpaceX Livestream:youtube.com/watch?v=NONM-x…
Staging 1-2
SpaceX Falcon 9 B1052-7 lands on drone ship Just Read The Instructions.And that one is very much a bullseye!
Consolation PrizeSpaceX launched Starlink rideshare mission 4-20 tonight, much to the delight of crowds that have remained on the Space Coast after SLS attempts. Read more from @NASASpaceflight nasaspaceflight.com/2022/09/starli…
Old and New. A defunct cold war era ATT Longlines tower watches over a SpaceX Falcon 9 lofting Starlink Group 4-20 into orbit. @NASASpaceflight
Launch of Falcon 9 with tonight's Starlink mission. @NASASpaceflight nasaspaceflight.com/2022/09/starli…
SpaceX Falcon 9 departs SLC-40 with Starlink 4-20, and rideshare Varuna-TDM. Story: nasaspaceflight.com/2022/09/starli…📸 for @NASASpaceflight
Great photos of what appears to be F9's deorbit burn.
#falcon9 upper stage form the recent #Starlink launch just made a beautiful burn just over Bordeaux. The cameras were set up for the 2 mag satellites, not a bright, beautiful show...
A quick timelapse video of the #falcon9 deorbit burn.
Falcon 9 beams into the night sky above Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:09 p.m. this evening with 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC rideshare payload
Falcon punches through a light cloud layer on the way to orbit with 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC rideshare payload
Falcon 9 launches 51 Starlink satellites and Spaceflight’s Sherpa-LTC to orbit
Congrats to my friends at Benchmark, whose nontoxic storable propulsion system made it uphill tonight for the first time on the Falcon 9 launch!
Keeping an eye today for any potential changes to the Falcon 9 launch countdown sequence. Last launch had LOX load wrapped up later than usual. This is in order to keep LOX being loaded as late as possible and helps keep it as cold as possible much closer to launch.
Which in turn means an improvement in performance. More mass of propellant in the tanks for no added dry mass means more delta-v available. Denser propellant also means more flow rate into the engine which largely means more thrust.
The colder temperatures bring its own issues though, not just because of the COPVs inside the LOX tanks as we saw back in 2016 with Amos 6 but also with how you manage a propellant that is denser and, most likely, more viscous.
Viscosity at colder temperatures is of special importance with kerosene for example, it may actually make the engines underperform as it is harder to push through the pumps if it's more viscous.
All in all, this is a careful and gradual process that SpaceX is now doing on their Starlink missions and will for sure mean they'll gather even more data into how to manage cold propellants at temperatures not previously handled by more traditional US launch companies.
Yep this is the late LOX load sequence
Starlink 4-20 launch last night
Update: Happy to report Sherpa-LTC made contact on its first pass last nite (while I was sleeping) and is proceeding through its checkouts. Stay tuned for more progress reports! (Photo credit to the talented @johnkrausphotos)
Here is a comparison of the webcast telemetry from Starlink 4-27 and 4-20.Although 4-20 may have utilised a late load of propellant, there was no evidence of the increased acceleration evident in 4-27 or 4-23. The 4-20 booster landed some 40km less distance downrange, velocity at MECO was some 43m/s less, and peak S2 acceleration was 3.8g vs 4g for 4-27.Overall, it was a much more relaxed affair.
Starlink 4-20 passing over Hungary at 4:46am. Nice! 💙🛰️@elonmusk @SpaceX
This morning, we saw the recently launched Starlink satellite (Starlink Group 4-20)! It looks like it was taken from my home in Hiratsuka at 4:15 on September 6, 2022. There will also be a launch on the 11th, and AST's BlueWalker 3, which will be on board, is equipped with a 10m diameter antenna for direct communication with smartphones. It may look brighter.
Starlink 4-20: Just Read the Instructions droneship is underway towards Port Canaveral with B1052ETA ~approx Thursday morning.Going to be a tight turnaround. Starlink 4-23 is reportedly NET Sep 12th using JRTI droneship.
SpaceX's Doug returned from the Starlink 4-20 mission this morning with two fairing halvesBonus: Check out American flag the crew are flying from the crane boom!Highlight from the 24/7 live feed: nasaspaceflight.com/fleetcam
JRTI should deliver B1052 to Port Canaveral around/after 8am ET on Thursday morning. Tug Kurt Crosby is towing.
Meanwhile at Port Canaveral.... B1052 arrives on Just Read the Instructions droneshipnasaspaceflight.com/fleetcam
After #Starlink 4-20 #Falcon9 B1052 had returned to @PortCanaveral just as rain has started to fall.
Despite the rain, Just Read the Instructions delivered B1052 to port last night. Instructions? Offload and depart for the next mission. Depart the did at 2:30 am. Fair winds tug crew!Watch processing on the @NASASpaceflight Fleetcam:nasaspaceflight.com/fleetcam
It's the first flight of that Sherpa model, and they may not have planned to raise the orbit right away. As you pointed out though they can't wait too long.
The @SpaceflightInc Sherpa-LTC satellite, carrying Boeing's Varuna V-band demo payload, was launched almost a month ago. It has apparently not yet begun raising its orbit; orbital decay has already reduced its altitude by 15 km, with reentry within weeks if no orbit boost soon.
Five of the 51 Starlinks from the same launch (G4-20) also appear headed for premature immolation, but S-4644 appears to have been saved and is starting to raise its orbit.
Spaceflight spokesperson Jodi Sorenson told SpaceNews Oct. 4 that the company is still going through the post-launch commissioning process for the Sherpa tug. “As always with experimental, first-flight systems, the commissioning process is fluid,” she said, with orbit-raising maneuvers set to begin once commissioning is complete. She did not give an estimate of when the spacecraft commissioning will be completed.
Sherpa-LTC did make an orbit boost burn at around 1100 UTC Oct 7, from 280 x 292 km to 283 x 328 km, so looks like all is well aboard that spacecraft.
Revised orbit plot for that launch: