SpaceX F9 : Starlink v0.9 : 23 May 2019 - UPDATES

• #260 by FutureSpaceTourist on 03 Jul, 2019 02:05
• https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1146231234139439104
  
  

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  Updated plot of Starlink orbit heights versus time. Rejected TLEs  (suspected error or mistagging) marked as red squares.

  
  twitter.com/planet4589/status/1146238197384515585
  
  

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  Here is a cleaner plot showing just the "good" (not obviously bad) data. Object AV (44) in magenta possibly in prep for deorbit. Objects  J (9) and AQ (39) in green, probably failed.  Objects Q,Y,AA,AZ,BG (15, 23, 25, 48, 55) in black, possibly 'paused' or 'failed'.

  
  https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1146238584925630469
  
  

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  The remaining 52 satellites have now raised orbit to, or close to, the operational height.

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• #261 by jketch on 09 Jul, 2019 01:54
• Since the most recent post, Starlink AA seems to have been raised to an operational orbit of 552 km x 548 km. So there are now 53 satellites at operational altitude.
• #262 by PM3 on 17 Jul, 2019 17:15
• 
  NORAD    Object     NSSC        Period   Incl.   Apo   Peri
  
  44235    STARLINK   2019-029A    95.65   53.00   552   548
  44236    STARLINK   2019-029B    95.79   53.00   559   555
  44237    STARLINK   2019-029C    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44238    STARLINK   2019-029D    95.65   53.00   551   548
  44239    STARLINK   2019-029E    95.65   53.01   552   548
  44240    STARLINK   2019-029F    95.65   53.01   552   548
  44241    STARLINK   2019-029G    95.65   53.01   551   549
  44242    STARLINK   2019-029H    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44243    STARLINK   2019-029J    93.34   53.00   444   432
  44244    STARLINK   2019-029K    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44245    STARLINK   2019-029L    95.65   53.00   551   548
  44246    STARLINK   2019-029M    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44247    STARLINK   2019-029N    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44248    STARLINK   2019-029P    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44249    STARLINK   2019-029Q    95.34   53.00   536   534
  44250    STARLINK   2019-029R    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44251    STARLINK   2019-029S    95.65   52.98   553   547
  44252    STARLINK   2019-029T    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44253    STARLINK   2019-029U    95.65   53.01   552   548
  44254    STARLINK   2019-029V    95.65   53.00   552   548
  44255    STARLINK   2019-029W    95.65   53.00   552   548
  44256    STARLINK   2019-029X    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44257    STARLINK   2019-029Y    94.27   53.00   484   483
  44258    STARLINK   2019-029Z    95.65   53.00   551   549
  44259    STARLINK   2019-029AA   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44260    STARLINK   2019-029AB   95.65   53.01   551   549
  44261    STARLINK   2019-029AC   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44262    STARLINK   2019-029AD   95.65   53.01   551   548
  44263    STARLINK   2019-029AE   95.60   53.01   555   541
  44264    STARLINK   2019-029AF   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44265    STARLINK   2019-029AG   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44266    STARLINK   2019-029AH   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44267    STARLINK   2019-029AJ   95.65   53.00   552   548
  44268    STARLINK   2019-029AK   95.65   53.00   552   549
  44269    STARLINK   2019-029AL   95.65   53.00   552   548
  44270    STARLINK   2019-029AM   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44271    STARLINK   2019-029AN   95.65   53.00   552   549
  44272    STARLINK   2019-029AP   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44273    STARLINK   2019-029AQ   93.26   53.00   439   429
  44274    STARLINK   2019-029AR   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44275    STARLINK   2019-029AS   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44276    STARLINK   2019-029AT   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44277    STARLINK   2019-029AU   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44278    STARLINK   2019-029AV   92.05   53.00   392   358
  44279    STARLINK   2019-029AW   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44280    STARLINK   2019-029AX   95.65   53.00   552   548
  44281    STARLINK   2019-029AY   95.65   53.00   552   548
  44282    STARLINK   2019-029AZ   94.58   53.02   499   497
  44283    STARLINK   2019-029BA   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44284    STARLINK   2019-029BB   95.65   53.00   552   548
  44285    STARLINK   2019-029BC   95.65   53.00   552   548
  44286    STARLINK   2019-029BD   95.57   53.00   548   544
  44287    STARLINK   2019-029BE   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44288    STARLINK   2019-029BF   95.65   53.01   551   549
  44289    STARLINK   2019-029BG   94.78   53.00   508   507
  44290    STARLINK   2019-029BH   95.65   53.01   552   548
  44291    STARLINK   2019-029BJ   95.65   53.01   551   549
  44292    STARLINK   2019-029BK   95.65   53.01   552   548
  44293    STARLINK   2019-029BL   95.65   53.01   552   548
  44294    STARLINK   2019-029BM   95.65   53.00   551   549
  44295    F9 DEBR.   2019-029BN   93.36   53.00   447   431
  44296    F9 DEBR.   2019-029BP   93.36   53.00   446   431
  44297    F9 DEBR.   2019-029BQ   93.29   53.00   440   431
  44298    F9 DEBR.   2019-029BR   93.29   53.00   440   431
  
• #263 by FutureSpaceTourist on 17 Jul, 2019 18:25
• https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1151555863670398976
  
  

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  Meanwhile, here's an updated Starlink orbit plot. Only change in the last week is that object AV (red line, Starlink 44 in my catalog-number-order scheme) has resumed its descent towards deorbit  and is now in a 358 x 392 km orbit.

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• #264 by jcm on 17 Jul, 2019 19:03
• Quote from: PM3 on 17 Jul, 2019 17:15

  
  NORAD    Object     NSSC        Period   Incl.   Apo   Peri
  
  44235    STARLINK   2019-029A    95.65   53.00   552   548 
  ....
  
  

  
  Per discussion with 18SPCS folks on twitter, SpaceX will NOT be releasing individual names for the Starlink satellites. In the absence of anything useful from SpaceX I plan to number them in catalog order, so
  Starlink 1 to Starlink 60 for this launch.
  
  
• #265 by Zed_Noir on 18 Jul, 2019 01:24
• Quote from: jcm on 17 Jul, 2019 19:03

  ....
  Per discussion with 18SPCS folks on twitter, SpaceX will NOT be releasing individual names for the Starlink satellites. In the absence of anything useful from SpaceX I plan to number them in catalog order, so
  Starlink 1 to Starlink 60 for this launch.
  

  
  Might be better to add a flight number prefix (Starlink 1-01 to Starlink 1-60).
• #266 by jcm on 18 Jul, 2019 06:08
• Quote from: Zed_Noir on 18 Jul, 2019 01:24

  Quote from: jcm on 17 Jul, 2019 19:03

  ....
  Per discussion with 18SPCS folks on twitter, SpaceX will NOT be releasing individual names for the Starlink satellites. In the absence of anything useful from SpaceX I plan to number them in catalog order, so
  Starlink 1 to Starlink 60 for this launch.
  

  
  Might be better to add a flight number prefix (Starlink 1-01 to Starlink 1-60).
  

  
  I thought about that but I kind of want to have the numbers run up to 12000 :-)
  Will probably do it both ways
• #267 by PM3 on 18 Jul, 2019 11:34
• Please remember that this is the UPDATES thread. Discussions go here: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47594.600
• #268 by FutureSpaceTourist on 23 Jul, 2019 12:23
• https://twitter.com/lake_sea_mtns/status/1153638946515169280
  
  

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  Back in time, the Starlink fairing from F9 that launched in May 2019. Only shows minimal wear & ready for refurbishment.  #Spacex #Nasa #ElonMusk #Space @SpaceXUpdates @SpaceXFleet
• #269 by FutureSpaceTourist on 27 Jul, 2019 16:25
• https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155150353119293443
  
  

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  Updated @SpaceX Starlink orbital height plot. Three more sats now removed from the constellation. 50 of the 60 satellites are in the operational orbit.

  twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155150841776615424
  
  

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  Object AV (44) continues its controlled descent, now in a 322 x 385 km orbit.

  
  https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155151657434570758
  
  

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  Object M [12] was suddenly removed from the operational constellation on Jul 18 and its obit was lowered.  Latest TLE put it in a 362 x 400 km orbit.

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• #270 by speedevil on 27 Jul, 2019 16:54
• Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 27 Jul, 2019 16:25

  https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155151657434570758
  
  

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  Object M [12] was suddenly removed from the operational constellation on Jul 18 and its obit was lowered.  Latest TLE put it in a 362 x 400 km orbit.

  The graph is quite interesting, and implies an acelleration of > 5m/s/day, or that it was mistagged, and was in fact slowly raising with the bulk of the population, and then stayed there for a few weeks before lowering at the nominal rate.
• #271 by FutureSpaceTourist on 27 Jul, 2019 17:13
• The rest of the twitter thread on Starlink orbits:
  
  twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155152041217540097
  
  

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  Objects J and AQ [9 and 39] never left the original deployment orbit of about 430 x 440 km.

  
  https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155152557200695296
  
  

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  Object AA [25] paused orbit raising on Jun 8, then was moved up to the operational 548 x 551 km orbit on Jul 4... but between Jul 12 and 19 it was lowered again to 445 x 445 km, just above the deployment orbit.

  
  twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155152950437785600
  
  

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  Objects Y, AZ, BG and N [23, 48, 55, 15] are `paused' in intermediate height orbits lower than the operational one, between 480 and 535 km.

  
  https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1155153499581292544
  
  

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  Finally, object BD [52] was lowered slightly out of the constellation on Jul 16, and is now in a 541 x 543 km orbit (compared to the 549 x 550 km orbit typical of the operational sats)
• #272 by guckyfan on 31 Jul, 2019 09:21
• I would like to show some graphs by Hugo, a member of the german forum raumfahrer.net. I asked for his consent to show them here.
  
  Link to the thread
  
  https://www.raumfahrer.net/forum/smf/index.php?topic=13231.msg456752#msg456752
  
  

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• #273 by FutureSpaceTourist on 07 Aug, 2019 00:38
• https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1158899342075473920
  
  

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  Starlink constellation:  object AV (44) continues to lower orbit, now at 313 x 352 km. No other recent activity. 9 other stats paused at various altitudes, 50 in operational constellation

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• #274 by FutureSpaceTourist on 17 Aug, 2019 07:38
• https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1162605103142113280
  
  

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  No change in Starlink satellite orbital heights for last week or so. Object AV [44] still in low 312 x 348 km orbit (and reported by Jay Respler to be 2nd magnitude)

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• #275 by Rondaz on 02 Sep, 2019 15:14
• This morning, @ESA's #Aeolus Earth observation satellite fired its thrusters, moving it off a collision course with a
  @SpaceX satellite in their #Starlink constellation..
  
  https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/1168534065118679042
• #276 by Rondaz on 02 Sep, 2019 15:15
• Experts in our #SpaceDebris team calculated the risk of collision between these two active satellites, determining the safest option for #Aeolus would be to increase its altitude and pass over the @SpaceX satellite#CollisionAvoidance
  
  https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/1168534747724820482
• #277 by soltasto on 02 Sep, 2019 15:20
• Looking at the orbital parameters of Aeolus, the satellite it intercepted was 44278 aka 2019-029AV, currently in a 346km by 311km orbit (as of the last TLE), the only satellite with the perigee lower than the Aeolus mean orbital altitude, that currently is in a 314km by 308 km orbit.
• #278 by shooter6947 on 02 Sep, 2019 18:08
• Quote from: Rondaz on 02 Sep, 2019 15:15

  Experts in our #SpaceDebris team calculated the risk of collision between these two active satellites, determining the safest option for #Aeolus would be to increase its altitude and pass over the @SpaceX satellite#CollisionAvoidance
  

  Given that Starlink is designed to do collision avoidance automatically, there's now a risk that both spacecraft could dodge the other, and end up heading right at each other.  Is there a system like TCAS in an airplane that will tell each one which way to go?  Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) will tell you to go right, or up, or whatever, and tells the other aircraft to go the opposite direction to maximize distance between them at closest approach...
• #279 by Rondaz on 02 Sep, 2019 18:52
• Hmmm.  We move our satellites on average once a week and don't put out a press release to say who we maneuvered around...
  
  https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/1168582141128650753