SpaceX F9 : Starlink 5 (v1.0 L4) : Feb. 17, 2020 : Master Thread

[Steven Pietrobon]

T+12 minutes.

[DaveS]

What was released from near the grid fin? around 7:30

Piece of ice around an umbilical opening. Has been seen before.

[Johnnyhinbos]

I feared that when the piece broke loose from the grid fin.

It looked like extruded frozen LOX

[Steven Pietrobon]

One minute to separation.

[Wolfram66]

I feared that when the piece broke loose from the grid fin.

Hydraulic leak? Maybe was frozen hydraulic fluid?

[Pete]

I feared that when the piece broke loose from the grid fin.

It looked like extruded frozen LOX

That thingy can be seen slowly growing from about mission time 5:12 or so...

[Steven Pietrobon]

T+14 minutes.

Separation!

[FutureSpaceTourist]

From webcast: Booster made a soft landing at sea, may be in one piece

[A12]

"The booster Made a soft landing on the water"

From the SX streaming.

[ZachS09]

Why does SpaceX cut the feed during the retention rod separation? I’ve always wanted to see that event.

[Steven Pietrobon]

T+16 minutes. Wrapping up coverage.

End of webcast.

Congratulations to SpaceX for the successful launch!

[Chris Bergin]

https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1229426075828092928

[yokem55]

The only reasonable explanation on that is that there is some secret sauce involved they don't want shown.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1229426411477315584

Liftoff of @SpaceX's fifth batch of 60 #starlink satellites. Definitely one of the loudest ones I've heard yet! Gave CRS-10 with the low cloud deck a run for its 💰

full gallery all my best Starlink mission photography: tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets…

[cscott]

Why does SpaceX cut the feed during the tension rod separation? I’ve always wanted to see that event.

As a wild guess: the vehicle recoils and that's enough to throw off the aim of the RF link for a few seconds until it is restablished.  The vehicle is always pretty far downrange, so there's not a lot of link margin.

The same reason we often lose link during reentry burn (unpredictable vehicle dynamics plus far downrange plus (probably) plasma shielding), and from the droneship during landing (exhaust directed at the deck moving everything plus again plasma shielding).

[LM13]

What was released from near the grid fin? around 7:30

Think it's the same thing as this thing during the CRS-16 launch (which also ended in a soft water landing)?

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=46901.msg1884246#msg1884246

[ZachS09]

Why does SpaceX cut the feed during the tension rod separation? I’ve always wanted to see that event.

As a wild guess: the vehicle recoils and that's enough to throw off the aim of the RF link for a few seconds until it is restablished.  The vehicle is always pretty far downrange, so there's not a lot of link margin.

The same reason we often lose link during reentry burn (unpredictable vehicle dynamics plus far downrange plus (probably) plasma shielding), and from the droneship during landing (exhaust directed at the deck moving everything plus again plasma shielding).

I thought they did not show the separation on purpose.

[kessdawg]

Why does SpaceX cut the feed during the tension rod separation? I’ve always wanted to see that event.

As a wild guess: the vehicle recoils and that's enough to throw off the aim of the RF link for a few seconds until it is restablished.  The vehicle is always pretty far downrange, so there's not a lot of link margin.

The same reason we often lose link during reentry burn (unpredictable vehicle dynamics plus far downrange plus (probably) plasma shielding), and from the droneship during landing (exhaust directed at the deck moving everything plus again plasma shielding).

I thought they did not show the separation on purpose.

They haven't said that; it's speculation.  I find it equally plausible that the deployment reaction causes the RF link to drop for a bit.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Tweeted just before launch:

https://twitter.com/mayemusk/status/1229421456058019840

Watching @SpaceX launch,  next to a photo of my Mom holding prizes as a co-winner of the Cape to Algiers rally in the 50’s. Coincidence? I think not😉

[John Alan]

Looks like they another one to sink at sea... 
I hope this time they got a better plan besides running it over with a boat out of Bermuda...