SpaceX F9 : Starlink v1.0 L17 : KSC LC-39A : 4 March 2021 (0824 UTC)

[Jansen]

Has any reason been given for this new delay?  Could it be some non-technical reason, like wanting to have a launch on the same day that Shift4 Payments’ commercial runs during the Super Bowl?

Three posts up:

Targeting no earlier than February 7 at 4:31 a.m. EST for launch of Starlink from 39A, pending Range availability, to allow time for pre-launch checks and recovery vessels to get on station after offloading fairing halves from previous mission; team is monitoring recovery weather

[John Santos]

Has any reason been given for this new delay?  Could it be some non-technical reason, like wanting to have a launch on the same day that Shift4 Payments’ commercial runs during the Super Bowl?

Three posts up:

Targeting no earlier than February 7 at 4:31 a.m. EST for launch of Starlink from 39A, pending Range availability, to allow time for pre-launch checks and recovery vessels to get on station after offloading fairing halves from previous mission; team is monitoring recovery weather

That's the result of the delay, not the cause.

[WannaWalnetto]

Thanks Jansen — I blew right by that post without it registering.

Still, I’m curious. What has happened that changed a 4+ hour launch gap into a 4-day gap?  Unless I blew past another post without reading it correctly, the weather and vehicle/payload looked good to go.

[gongora]

Thanks Jansen — I blew right by that post without it registering.

Still, I’m curious. What has happened that changed a 4+ hour launch gap into a 4-day gap?  Unless I blew past another post without reading it correctly, the weather and vehicle/payload looked good to go.

If they're still talking about pre-launch checks then either the pad, vehicle, or payload isn't completely good to go.

[Jansen]

Thanks Jansen — I blew right by that post without it registering.

Still, I’m curious. What has happened that changed a 4+ hour launch gap into a 4-day gap?  Unless I blew past another post without reading it correctly, the weather and vehicle/payload looked good to go.

If they're still talking about pre-launch checks then either the pad, vehicle, or payload isn't completely good to go.

Consider the aborted static fire issue earlier, I suspect they are spending extra time on data analysis.

[SMS]

https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1357548377865506816

[AStick]

Launch is now TBD.  NOT going on the 7th. 

[gongora]

NOTMAR cancellation:
[email protected]
11:49 AM (1 hour ago)
to NAVSAFETY1

051638Z FEB 21
NAVAREA IV 112/21(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
CANCEL NAVAREA IV 110/21 AND THIS MSG.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1357785626561572864

Standing down from this weekend’s launch attempt of Starlink from LC-39A for additional inspections before flying one of our fleet-leading boosters, as the team continues to drive toward a separate Falcon 9 launch of Starlink from SLC-40 at the end of next week.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1357785626561572864

Standing down from this weekend’s launch attempt of Starlink from LC-39A for additional inspections before flying one of our fleet-leading boosters, as the team continues to drive toward a separate Falcon 9 launch of Starlink from SLC-40 at the end of next week.

Sounds a little like a troubling problem that has yet to be figured out as to what is causing it. Troubleshooting can be quick or sometimes extremely elusive. But also they have hinted at it being the booster but have not come out and said it is the booster.

[Jansen]

https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1357792135735615488

That JRTI is coming all the way back to Port Canaveral indicates a substantial delay.

[Jansen]

That JRTI is coming all the way back to Port Canaveral indicates a substantial delay.

I’m hearing it might be a 4-10 day delay. Don’t know what would take that long. Engine swap?

[klod]

That JRTI is coming all the way back to Port Canaveral indicates a substantial delay.

I’m hearing it might be a 4-10 day delay. Don’t know what would take that long. Engine swap?

Rumored that some problems with the 1st stage - 3 checks - 3 different issues.

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post; my bold:

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography, February 5 update:

FALCON 9
The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral will launch the nineteenth Starlink batch from
pad 40 on February 12 at 12:25am EST. The launch time for Starlink launches gets 20-22 minutes
earlier each day. A Falcon 9 will launch the twentieth Starlink batch from pad 39A on February TBD
at around 1-3am EST. Upcoming launches include more Starlink missions on February TBA. The
next Crew Dragon mission, Crew-2, carrying four astronauts to the space station from pad 39A, is
targeted for April 20, around 5 or 6am EDT.

[vaporcobra]

Cross-post; my bold:

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography, February 5 update:

FALCON 9
The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral will launch the nineteenth Starlink batch from
pad 40 on February 12 at 12:25am EST. The launch time for Starlink launches gets 20-22 minutes
earlier each day. A Falcon 9 will launch the twentieth Starlink batch from pad 39A on February TBD
at around 1-3am EST. Upcoming launches include more Starlink missions on February TBA. The
next Crew Dragon mission, Crew-2, carrying four astronauts to the space station from pad 39A, is
targeted for April 20, around 5 or 6am EDT.

If we assume that L17 is still headed to the same place and extrapolate from the 4:30 am NET for a Feb 7 launch, "1-3am" gives a spread of 4-10 days or Feb 11-17 for the next launch target. As an educated guess, the lower end of that range would mesh more with demating the rocket/payload to inspect stage(s) or Starlink satellites. Upper end would be better explained by a booster engine swap, upper stage replacement, or even Starlink satellite removal or replacement.

[Jansen]

https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1359124137617276928

[Raul]

Next launch date is now NET 16 Feb ~06:17 UTC, alternatively 17-22 Feb, according to new Stage2 re-entry NOTAMs messages in Melbourne and Mauritius FIR.

MELBOURNE (FIR/FIC/ACC/COM/MET)
NOTAM #: F0487/21      Class: International      Status: Active      Issue Date UTC: 02/10/2021 2048      Start Date UTC: 02/16/2021 0811      End Date UTC: 02/22/2021 0655
F0487/21 NOTAMN
Q) YMMM/QWMLW/IV/BO/W/000/999/5220S09818E999
A) YMMM
B) 2102160811 C) 2102220655
D) 2102160811 TO 2102160904
   2102170749 TO 2102170842
   2102180728 TO 2102180821
   2102190706 TO 2102190759
   2102200645 TO 2102200738
   2102210623 TO 2102210716
   2102220602 TO 2102220655
E) ROCKET LAUNCH WILL TAKE PLACE
FLW RECEIVED FM GOVERNMENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
HAZARDOUS OPS WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY AND
SPLASHDOWN OF LAUNCH VEHICLE FALCON-9 STARLINK V1.0-L17 AND
PARTICIPATING SUPPORT ACFT WI THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

FM 2943S06007E
TO 2455S06427E
TO 3845S08430E
TO 4512S09945E
TO 4946S11913E
TO 5042S13819E
TO 4850S15644E
TO 5146S15808E
TO 5442S14832E
TO 5620S13103E
TO 5552S10750E
TO 4911S08505E
TO 3432S06413E TO BEGINNING
PRI RE-ENTRY 2102160811 TO 2102160904
F) SFC G) UNL

[spacenut]

Any word as to what the 3 issues are on the booster?  Would they change boosters at some point?

[Jansen]

Spaceflight Now, Next Spaceflight, and Ben Cooper all confirming.

Launch time: 0617 GMT (1:17 a.m. EST)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

[Ken the Bin]

Here's the Rocket Launching NGA notice along with calculated launch times.

Primary Day = Tuesday, February 16 at ~06:17 UTC.
Backup Day #1 = Wednesday, February 17 at ~05:55 UTC.
Backup Day #2 = Thursday, February 18 at ~05:34 UTC.
Backup Day #3 = Friday, February 19 at ~05:12 UTC.
Backup Day #4 = Saturday, February 20 at ~04:51 UTC.
Backup Day #5 = Sunday, February 21 at ~04:29 UTC.
Backup Day #6 = Monday, February 22 at ~04:08 UTC.

111705Z FEB 21
NAVAREA IV 128/21(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   160602Z TO 160720Z FEB, ALTERNATE
   170540Z TO 170658Z, 180519Z TO 180637Z,
   190457Z TO 190615Z, 200436Z TO 200554Z,
   210414Z TO 210532Z AND 220353Z TO 220511Z FEB
   IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-39-10N 080-37-48W, 29-00-00N 080-14-00W,
      29-15-00N 079-56-00W, 29-17-00N 079-50-00W,
      29-11-00N 079-44-00W, 29-07-00N 079-47-00W,
      28-50-00N 080-02-00W, 28-34-00N 080-22-00W,
      28-30-21N 080-32-58W.
   B. 31-57-00N 076-56-00W, 33-17-00N 076-03-00W,
      33-31-00N 074-59-00W, 33-10-00N 074-36-00W,
      32-27-00N 074-46-00W, 31-42-00N 076-41-00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 220611Z FEB 21.

Additionally, earlier today I received a Space Debris notice.  It only lists two days instead of seven days and the location is different, however the times in those two days match the NOTAM that Raul posted above.

111026Z FEB 21
HYDROPAC 494/21(GEN).
WESTERN SOUTH PACIFIC.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
   160811Z TO 160904Z FEB, ALTERNATE
   170749Z TO 170842Z FEB
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   27-18S 062-23E, 46-52S 090-17E,
   53-10S 120-02E, 52-53S 144-25E,
   50-16S 157-27E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 170942Z FEB 21.