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#100 by Galactic Penguin SST on 25 Feb, 2024 22:28
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1761892451978199343Quote
Deployment of @Starlink satellites confirmed. Falcon 9’s second stage has an additional deorbit burn remaining
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#101 by catdlr on 25 Feb, 2024 22:32
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Thanks to Steven P. and Galactic Penguin SST for their coverage, and to the NSF Livestream crew.
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#102 by catdlr on 25 Feb, 2024 22:33
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Summary video
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#103 by realnouns on 25 Feb, 2024 22:37
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Doug + ASOG departed PC on Feb 20 @ 6:04pm ET
Looks like possibly we'll see Kurt J Crosby tow ASOG back into Port Canaveral. Swapped with Doug so he could scoop up the fairings?
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#104 by catdlr on 25 Feb, 2024 22:37
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1761897755663114406Quote
Falcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from Florida
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#105 by Josh_from_Canada on 25 Feb, 2024 23:13
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https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1761897755663114406
QuoteFalcon 9 launches 24 @Starlink satellites from Florida
cool seeing JRTI in the background of the image
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#106 by shiro on 26 Feb, 2024 03:08
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Some reusability stats for this launch (Starlink Group 6-39):
Booster B1069.13 turnaround time:
58 days 18 hours 5 minutes
(its previous mission was Starlink Group 6-36 on Dec 29, 2023 UTC).
FYI: median turnaround time for Falcon 9 / Heavy boosters is currently 51.59 days *
* – based on the last 30 launches, excluding new first stages.
Launchpad SLC-40 turnaround time:
5 days 1 hour 55 minutes
(the previous launch from this pad was Merah Putih 2 (HTS 113BT) on Feb 20, 2024 UTC).
FYI: median turnaround time for SLC-40 is currently 5.24 days *
* – based on the last 30 launches.
The same type of stats for previous SpaceX launches may be found on this spreadsheet online. -
#107 by catdlr on 26 Feb, 2024 04:54
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https://twitter.com/_rykllan/status/1761981640367099926Quote
Recent 11th #Starlink launch of this year via #SpaceX's #Falcon9 vehicle
https://twitter.com/_rykllan/status/1761981644070629654
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#108 by catdlr on 26 Feb, 2024 06:46
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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1762019803630563800Quote
Due to continued design improvements, this Falcon 9 carried its highest-ever payload of 17.5 tons of useful load to a useful orbit
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#109 by edkyle99 on 26 Feb, 2024 15:47
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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1762019803630563800
17,500 kg / 24 = 729.17 kg for each satellite on this down-range-first-stage-recovery flight, assuming "useful load" means Starlinks.QuoteDue to continued design improvements, this Falcon 9 carried its highest-ever payload of 17.5 tons of useful load to a useful orbit
- Ed Kyle -
#110 by Comga on 26 Feb, 2024 20:16
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https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1762019803630563800
17,500 kg / 24 = 729.17 kg for each satellite on this down-range-first-stage-recovery flight, assuming "useful load" means Starlinks.QuoteDue to continued design improvements, this Falcon 9 carried its highest-ever payload of 17.5 tons of useful load to a useful orbit
- Ed Kyle
To be pedantic, and not falsely precise, it's 730 kg per satellite, or maybe 729 kg
You can't convert two or three decimals of precision in the input to five in the output.
(trailing zeros don't count. It's "17.5 tons", not 17,500.0 kg and we don't need to debate the meaning of "useful load".)
A more interesting question is why Musk said "design improvements" instead of "optimized operations".
The suggestion made earlier is that the first stage burns were shifted to before MECO from the entry burn, making the staging velocity greater and dealing with less entry braking.
How that could be due to a "design improvement" is a good question.
What other "design improvements" could they have made without it being visible like strethed stages or extended nozzels.
I don't think doing without stiffening rings would be significant.
Someone suggested that SpaceX reduced the interval from MECO to SES-1 in the timeline, but that did not appear to be case watching the launch replay. Plus that's not a "design improvement". -
#111 by abaddon on 26 Feb, 2024 21:32
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A more interesting question is why Musk said "design improvements" instead of "optimized operations".
How about a booster improvement to allow it to safely re-enter the atmosphere at a higher velocity? Maybe they revamped the booster armor at the base in a recent refurbishment.
The suggestion made earlier is that the first stage burns were shifted to before MECO from the entry burn, making the staging velocity greater and dealing with less entry braking.
How that could be due to a "design improvement" is a good question. -
#112 by OneSpeed on 26 Feb, 2024 23:09
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Here is a comparison of the webcast telemetry from Starlink 6-38 and 6-39, with payloads of 23 and 24 V2 Mini satellites respectively.
Differences include:
1. 6-39 had a roughly 2 second narrower throttle bucket, which would have slightly reduced gravity losses, and gained it an extra 16m/s. 6-39 maintained and increassed this advantage all the way to MECO, at 2275m/s vs 2218m/s, a difference of 57m/s. This would have required a throttle setting about 1.4% higher than the usual 92% I estimate from the end of the throttle bucket to booster terminal guidance, and is just visible on the acceleration plots.
2. The second stage burns were similar, although acceleration was slightly less on 6-39 towards the end of the burn, due to the heavier payload.
3. The booster re-entry burns produced similar ΔV, but the 6-39 re-entry glide washed off some 240m/s more than 6-38, saving enough propellant for the higher throttle boost phase. Conversely, I estimate that 6-39 landed some 34km further downrange.
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#113 by catdlr on 27 Feb, 2024 01:50
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#114 by realnouns on 27 Feb, 2024 02:40
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Doug + ASOG departed PC on Feb 20 @ 6:04pm ET
Looks like possibly we'll see Kurt J Crosby tow ASOG back into Port Canaveral. Swapped with Doug so he could scoop up the fairings?
Scratch that. Link up was temporary. Kurt J Crosby heading southeast. Doug + ASOG on their way, arrival at least another day. -
#115 by realnouns on 28 Feb, 2024 15:19
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Doug + ASOG + B1069 returned to PC on Feb 28 @ 9:11am ET
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#116 by FutureSpaceTourist on 28 Feb, 2024 16:37
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https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1762894601424109661Quote
SpaceX's Doug arrived at Port Canaveral this morning towing Falcon 9 B1069 atop ASOG droneship + both fairing halves from Starlink 6-39... all in one neat package! 😇
nsf.live/spacecoast -
#117 by PM3 on 02 Mar, 2024 20:52
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This was the only Starlink launch with 24 satellites so far, instead of the usual 23 from the Cape. And Space-Track so far has catalogued only 18 of them. What is going on here?
NORAD SATNAME INTLDES PERIOD INCL APO/PERI
59023 STARLINK-30996 2024-038A 90.47 43.01 299 297
59024 STARLINK-31006 2024-038B 90.22 43.01 286 284
59025 STARLINK-31178 2024-038C 90.47 43.01 298 296
59026 STARLINK-31227 2024-038D 90.46 43.01 298 296
59027 STARLINK-30863 2024-038E 90.45 43.01 298 296
59028 STARLINK-31206 2024-038F 90.46 43.01 298 296
59029 STARLINK-31224 2024-038G 90.45 43.01 298 295
59030 STARLINK-31186 2024-038H 90.44 43.01 298 295
59031 STARLINK-31211 2024-038J 90.44 43.01 297 295
59032 STARLINK-30892 2024-038K 90.43 43.01 297 294
59033 STARLINK-31210 2024-038L 90.43 43.01 297 294
59034 STARLINK-31231 2024-038M 90.42 43.01 296 294
59035 STARLINK-31207 2024-038N 90.42 43.01 296 294
59036 STARLINK-31217 2024-038P 90.41 43.01 296 294
59037 STARLINK-31208 2024-038Q 90.24 43.01 288 284
59038 STARLINK-31235 2024-038R 90.40 43.00 296 293
59039 STARLINK-31220 2024-038S 90.41 43.01 296 293
59040 STARLINK-31225 2024-038T 90.40 43.00 295 292 -
#118 by jcm on 02 Mar, 2024 21:36
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This was the only Starlink launch with 24 satellites so far, instead of the usual 23 from the Cape. And Space-Track so far has catalogued only 18 of them. What is going on here?
NORAD SATNAME INTLDES PERIOD INCL APO/PERI
59023 STARLINK-30996 2024-038A 90.47 43.01 299 297
59024 STARLINK-31006 2024-038B 90.22 43.01 286 284
59025 STARLINK-31178 2024-038C 90.47 43.01 298 296
59026 STARLINK-31227 2024-038D 90.46 43.01 298 296
59027 STARLINK-30863 2024-038E 90.45 43.01 298 296
59028 STARLINK-31206 2024-038F 90.46 43.01 298 296
59029 STARLINK-31224 2024-038G 90.45 43.01 298 295
59030 STARLINK-31186 2024-038H 90.44 43.01 298 295
59031 STARLINK-31211 2024-038J 90.44 43.01 297 295
59032 STARLINK-30892 2024-038K 90.43 43.01 297 294
59033 STARLINK-31210 2024-038L 90.43 43.01 297 294
59034 STARLINK-31231 2024-038M 90.42 43.01 296 294
59035 STARLINK-31207 2024-038N 90.42 43.01 296 294
59036 STARLINK-31217 2024-038P 90.41 43.01 296 294
59037 STARLINK-31208 2024-038Q 90.24 43.01 288 284
59038 STARLINK-31235 2024-038R 90.40 43.00 296 293
59039 STARLINK-31220 2024-038S 90.41 43.01 296 293
59040 STARLINK-31225 2024-038T 90.40 43.00 295 292
There are TLEs being issued for 59041 to 59046, I guess the satcat page hasn't caught up yet
