The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this mission previously supported launch of Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8, and six 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 two Starlink missions.
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.
http://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Guide.html [updated April 7]QuoteFALCON 9The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral will launch Crew Dragon Crew-2, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station from pad 39A on April 22 at 6:11am EDT. Sunrise is 6:49am. The launch time gets 22-26 min. earlier each day. Then, a Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink 24 internet satellite batch on TBD. Other upcoming Falcon 9s include more Starlink batches on TBD. A Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch the SiriusXM-8 on June 1 at 12:25am EDT. And Falcon 9 from pad 39A will launch the next Dragon resupply mission, CRS-22, on June 3 at around 1pm EDT.
FALCON 9The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral will launch Crew Dragon Crew-2, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station from pad 39A on April 22 at 6:11am EDT. Sunrise is 6:49am. The launch time gets 22-26 min. earlier each day. Then, a Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink 24 internet satellite batch on TBD. Other upcoming Falcon 9s include more Starlink batches on TBD. A Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch the SiriusXM-8 on June 1 at 12:25am EDT. And Falcon 9 from pad 39A will launch the next Dragon resupply mission, CRS-22, on June 3 at around 1pm EDT.
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
“So I think that’s probably a couple of flights is a good number for a crew booster, and in the meantime, we’ll keep flying the life leader,” Musk said. “We’ve got nine flights on one of the boosters. We’re going to have a 10th flight soon with a Starlink mission.”
Another Falcon 9 launch with the next batch of Starlink satellites is scheduled as soon as next week from pad 39A from the Kennedy Space Center.
May 4 • Starlink V1.0-L25Launch time: 1901 GMT (3:01 p.m. EDT)Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Booster should already be in the HIF.
290924Z APR 21NAVAREA IV 351/21(11,26).WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. FLORIDA. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING 041830Z TO 042049Z MAY, ALTERNATE 051830Z TO 052027Z, 061718Z TO 062005Z, 071656Z TO 071944Z, 081634Z TO 081922Z, 091613Z TO 091901Z AND 101551Z TO 101839Z MAY IN AREAS BOUND BY: A. 28-40-20N 080-38-37W, 29-20-00N 079-54-00W, 29-13-00N 079-46-00W, 28-34-00N 080-23-00W, 28-30-10N 080-32-53W. B. 31-27-00N 077-29-00W, 33-17-00N 076-03-00W, 33-31-00N 074-59-00W, 33-10-00N 074-36-00W, 32-27-00N 074-46-00W, 31-15-00N 077-17-00W.2. CANCEL THIS MSG 101939Z MAY 21.
290904Z APR 21HYDROPAC 1298/21(61,75,76).SOUTHEASTERN INDIAN OCEAN. DNC 03, DNC 04, DNC 05.1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 042040Z TO 042237Z MAY, ALTERNATE 052040Z TO 052215Z, 061928Z TO 062240Z, 071906Z TO 072132Z, 081844Z TO 082110Z, 091823Z TO 092049Z AND 101801Z TO 101927Z 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 102027Z MAY 21.
May 4 • Starlink V1.0-L25Launch time: 1901 GMT (3:01 p.m. EDT)May the 4th be with you!
Mr. Jonah and OCISLY are outbound for Starlink L25.
Scheduled:Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)2021May 4 Q2 April early May - Starlink flight 26 (x60) [v1.0 L25] - Falcon 9-116 (1049.9 S) - Kennedy LC-39A - 19:01:07(Starlink: launch 20-22 minutes earlier/day)NET May 9 - 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 17 - SBIRS-GEO 5 - Atlas V 421 - Canaveral SLC-41NET May Q2 April? - Starlink flight 28? 27 (x60) [v1.0 L26] - Falcon 9 (S) - Kennedy LC-39A / Canaveral SLC-40(Starlink: launch 20-22 minutes earlier/day)NET May - Starlink flight 29 (x60) [v1.0 L28] - Falcon 9 (S) - Kennedy LC-39A / Canaveral SLC-40(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)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 April 27thChanges on April 29thChanges on April 30thChanges on May 4thChanges on May 9thzubenelgenubi
Meanwhile, in Florida....Fairing recovery ship Shelia Bordelon is heading back out to sea for yet another Starlink launch, just 13 hours after returning from the last.
Wonder why there's no official confirmation of the test results as of now, several hours later
Quote from: Alvian@IDN on 05/03/2021 12:18 pmWonder why there's no official confirmation of the test results as of now, several hours laterBecause it’s just a static fire, and SpaceX doesn’t tweet about them that often.
Not true, whenever there is a static fire, they tweet.On Starlink missions with no SF, they tweet the day before/day of launch.
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, May 4 for launch of 60 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous window is at 3:01 p.m. EDT, or 19:01 UTC, and a backup opportunity is available on Wednesday, May 5 at 2:39 p.m. EDT, or 18:39 UTC.The Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster supporting this mission previously supported launch of Telstar 18 VANTAGE, Iridium-8, and six 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 two Starlink missions.
Impressive to nail the bullseye like that... And just a few seconds before, it almost looked like it was going to miss with the drone ship in the top corner of the image (although that was probably due to the approach angle)
Quote from: Lars-J on 05/04/2021 07:13 pmImpressive to nail the bullseye like that... And just a few seconds before, it almost looked like it was going to miss with the drone ship in the top corner of the image (although that was probably due to the approach angle)Yep, it’s angle. Still had some horizontal velocity to kill as it was coming down, hence it looking like it was a goner
App update is available!
Is that for better thermal management of the spacecraft, presumably?
Falcon 9 lifts off from LC-39A with another batch of #Starlink satellites!This was B1049’s ninth launch and landing! We could see a 10th flight as soon as Sunday with B1051!Mission overview by @ChrisG_NSF and @TGMetsFan98: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/05/spacex-parallel-operations-starlink-l25/
When I saw this viewpoint during the coverage my heart sank as I thought the booster was going to get wet. Would have really liked to have seen the video of the final decent as the booster ended up putting it right on the bullseye. Very impressive stuff!Screenshot of SpaceX coverage:
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1389672850089418752
Has anyone else noticed that for a lot of the more recent starlink flights the clock shows t=0 at ignition and T+2 or 3 at liftoff? Obviously the rocket is lifting off on time but it seems like that's been happening a lot recently.
Was it also, 100th booster landing attempt?
Quote from: Rocketdog2116 on 05/04/2021 07:13 pmHas anyone else noticed that for a lot of the more recent starlink flights the clock shows t=0 at ignition and T+2 or 3 at liftoff? Obviously the rocket is lifting off on time but it seems like that's been happening a lot recently.Well, it is really just a question of definition: Does the flight begin when the Merlins ignite, or when the clamps release?Apparently they have decided that from an engineering standpoint the flight begins at ignition.
Quote from: SpaceFinnOriginal on 05/04/2021 08:37 pmWas it also, 100th booster landing attempt?100th straight Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets without an in-flight mission failure.
Maybe the clock isn't quite synched on the webcast for all the cameras?
Quote from: Jansen on 05/04/2021 08:55 pmQuote from: SpaceFinnOriginal on 05/04/2021 08:37 pmWas it also, 100th booster landing attempt?100th straight Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets without an in-flight mission failure.Are you counting IFA?
Quote from: b.lorenz on 05/04/2021 08:52 pmQuote from: Rocketdog2116 on 05/04/2021 07:13 pmHas anyone else noticed that for a lot of the more recent starlink flights the clock shows t=0 at ignition and T+2 or 3 at liftoff? Obviously the rocket is lifting off on time but it seems like that's been happening a lot recently.Well, it is really just a question of definition: Does the flight begin when the Merlins ignite, or when the clamps release?Apparently they have decided that from an engineering standpoint the flight begins at ignition.IIRC (doubtful, I was very young), on Saturn, it was "3, 2, 1, 0, Ignition, Liftoff", but on Shuttle it was more like "3, (Main Engine Ignition), 2, 1, 0, SRB Ignition, Liftoff".
Quote from: gongora on 05/04/2021 09:00 pmQuote from: Jansen on 05/04/2021 08:55 pmQuote from: SpaceFinnOriginal on 05/04/2021 08:37 pmWas it also, 100th booster landing attempt?100th straight Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets without an in-flight mission failure.Are you counting IFA?That wasn't a mission failure.
Quote from: Tommyboy on 05/04/2021 09:11 pmQuote from: gongora on 05/04/2021 09:00 pmQuote from: Jansen on 05/04/2021 08:55 pmQuote from: SpaceFinnOriginal on 05/04/2021 08:37 pmWas it also, 100th booster landing attempt?100th straight Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets without an in-flight mission failure.Are you counting IFA?That wasn't a mission failure.I wouldn't count it as a success in that sense either, it was a suborbital test flight
Quote from: r8ix on 05/04/2021 08:58 pmQuote from: b.lorenz on 05/04/2021 08:52 pmQuote from: Rocketdog2116 on 05/04/2021 07:13 pmHas anyone else noticed that for a lot of the more recent starlink flights the clock shows t=0 at ignition and T+2 or 3 at liftoff? Obviously the rocket is lifting off on time but it seems like that's been happening a lot recently.Well, it is really just a question of definition: Does the flight begin when the Merlins ignite, or when the clamps release?Apparently they have decided that from an engineering standpoint the flight begins at ignition.IIRC (doubtful, I was very young), on Saturn, it was "3, 2, 1, 0, Ignition, Liftoff", but on Shuttle it was more like "3, (Main Engine Ignition), 2, 1, 0, SRB Ignition, Liftoff".Except for STS-1, which had Main Engine Start at T-3 and liftoff several seconds after T-0.
https://twitter.com/c_fletcher22/status/1389656004867117067For the people who keep track of fairings
Starlink_v1.0-L25 active halve pattern corresponds to active halve of Starlink_v1.0-L10, previously flown on Starlink_v1.0-L3. Not too much to Starlink_v1.0-L22 fairing as tweeted.
Mr. Jonah finally left the LZ early this morning with OCISLY and B1049-9. It is hard to say what the delay was when the landing looked good. BTW, Shelia is just hanging out. Did they get fairings? If so will they jenga more on this weekend? So many questions. #SpaceXFleet
Quote from: Raul on 05/05/2021 11:12 pmStarlink_v1.0-L25 active halve pattern corresponds to active halve of Starlink_v1.0-L10, previously flown on Starlink_v1.0-L3. Not too much to Starlink_v1.0-L22 fairing as tweeted.Colin is a writer for NSF, but I’m not sure what his source is on this. I suggest you contact him if you feel that strongly.
OCISLY droneship and B1049 are still tracking towards an arrival tomorrow morning, shortly after dawn.The droneship crew will have a fantastic view of the overnight launch.
B1049-9 has arrived at Port Canaveral on OCISLY droneship, following the launch on Tuesday 4th.Very pretty morning!Live views on NSF Fleetcam: youtu.be/gnt2wZBg89g
B1049-9 arrived back at Port Canaveral during my three hour post launch nap, I knew I should have napped at Port instead of driving home. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX
Dolphins play in the reflection of #Falcon9 1049 as it returns to @PortCanaveral this sunrise! It's recent #Starlink mission was its 9th flight for @SpaceX 📷: Me - @NextHorizonsSF
GO Searcher, @SpaceX Dragon recovery vessel, arrived at Morehead City this afternoon. We think she’s here to courier a faring half dropped off by Shelia Bordelon. We caught her at the Beaufort Inlet, more to follow #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX #sobx #nc #NorthCarolina
.@SpaceX's GO Searcher departed Morehead City this afternoon with a fairing half (as well as a parafoil) from #Starlink 25 that was dropped off by Shelia Bordelon. GO Quest remains in port. #spacexfleet #spacex #sobx #NC #NorthCarolina
