Author Topic: SpaceX F9 : Starlink group 7-16 : VSFB SLC-4E : 18/19 March 2024 (02:28 UTC) (Read 19011 times)

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #60 on:** 03/19/2024 02:30 am »

T+1 hour 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Expected separation.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #61 on:** 03/19/2024 02:36 am »

"Successful deployment of @Starlink satellites confirmed"

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1769930573928394817

catdlr · « **Reply #62 on:** 03/19/2024 02:46 am »

Thanks, Steven for the excellent launch coverage.

catdlr · « **Reply #63 on:** 03/19/2024 02:53 am »

https://twitter.com/TylerG1998/status/1769931018578833816

https://twitter.com/TylerG1998/status/1769931329246843091

Quote

Updated orbital launch count as of Mar. 18 (Mar. 19 UTC):

Earth 🌎 — 50/51

USA 🇺🇸 — 30/30
China 🇨🇳 — 11/11* (1 partial failure)
Russia 🇷🇺 — 3/3
Japan 🇯🇵 — 2/3
Iran 🇮🇷 — 2/2
India 🇮🇳 — 2/2

1/3

Quote

Orbital launches by organization:

🇺🇸 — 26 SpaceX, 3 Rocket Lab, 1 ULA
🇨🇳 — 7 CASC (1 partial failure), 2 CASIC, 1 OrienSpace, 1 CAS Space
🇷🇺 — 3 RKK Energiya
🇯🇵 — 2 MHI, 1 Space One ❌
🇮🇳 — 2 ISRO
🇮🇷 — 1 IRGC, 1 ISA

2/3

Quote

Launches by spaceport:

🇺🇸 — 12 Cape Canaveral, 10 Vandenberg, 5 KSC
🇨🇳 — 4 Xichang, 3 Jiuquan, 2 offshore, 2 Wenchang
🇳🇿 — 3 Māhia
🇷🇺 — 1 Plesetsk, 1 Baikonur, 1 Vostochny
🇯🇵 — 2 Tanegashima, 1 Space Port Kii
🇮🇳 — 2 Satish Dhawan
🇮🇷 — 1 Shahrud MTS, 1 Semnan

3/3

slobber91 · « **Reply #64 on:** 03/19/2024 02:53 am »

More views from SoCal; third photo shows what looked like some sort of thruster firing from the fairings shortly after separation...

artrockets · « **Reply #65 on:** 03/19/2024 02:54 am »

slobber91 · « **Reply #66 on:** 03/19/2024 02:56 am »

Views of the booster dropping out of the sky while the 2nd stage continues to orbit

catdlr · « **Reply #67 on:** 03/19/2024 03:03 am »

This Post contains a montage of various other videos submitted.

https://twitter.com/rawsalerts/status/1769938743454998738

Quote

🚨#BREAKING: Thousands of people are witnessing a spectacular jellyfish vapor across night sky

📌#LosAngeles | #California

Currently, across Southern California and into Arizona, millions are witnessing a spectacular event after SpaceX launched their Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, producing a stunning jellyfish-like vapor trail. Some people are concerned, thinking it might be a nuclear warhead launching or even calling it a UFO, but it’s just SpaceX doing their thing.

Quote

🚨#UPDATE: More incredible footage shows the jellyfish rocket vapor from the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch, as seen from Arizona.

catdlr · « **Reply #68 on:** 03/19/2024 04:32 am »

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1769956562754531779

catdlr · « **Reply #69 on:** 03/19/2024 08:56 am »

https://twitter.com/_rykllan/status/1770023512683557152/photo/1

starbase · « **Reply #70 on:** 03/19/2024 05:33 pm »

Apparently there were 20 Starlinks and 2 Starshield satellites on board.

https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1769982003183866328

https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1769985798945018367

spacenuance · « **Reply #71 on:** 03/19/2024 05:37 pm »

And celestrak has 20 out of 22. We shall see when they show up in the usual USA-XXX format. Possibly 350 and 351?

Quote

CelesTrak has ephemeris-based SupGP data for all 20 satellites from the Starlink Group 7-16 launch (2024-050) atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB on Mar 19 at 0228 UTC. https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/table.php?INTDES=2024-050

https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1770073172877988315?s=20

jcm · « **Reply #72 on:** 03/19/2024 07:31 pm »

Quote from: starbase on 03/19/2024 05:33 pm

Apparently there were 20 Starlinks and 2 Starshield satellites on board.

https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1769982003183866328

https://twitter.com/ShorealoneFilms/status/1769985798945018367

Interestings. I wonder what Hartman's sources are that mean he thinks he can confirm.
It's possible; we'll see if appropriate catalog entries eventually appear. But I am not convinced yet.

mlindner · « **Reply #73 on:** 03/20/2024 11:55 am »

Can someone help me with the math? I plug in 137 km altitude at 27361 km/hr to some equations and I get that it should be in an orbit of 137 km x -550 km orbit (that's negative, i.e. within the earth). Does SpaceX use earth's surface based numeric displays?

jcm · « **Reply #74 on:** 03/20/2024 12:09 pm »

Quote from: mlindner on 03/20/2024 11:55 am

Can someone help me with the math? I plug in 137 km altitude at 27361 km/hr to some equations and I get that it should be in an orbit of 137 km x -550 km orbit (that's negative, i.e. within the earth). Does SpaceX use earth's surface based numeric displays?

The quoted speed is Earth-relative, not inertial.

Edit: I estimate from the SupTLEs that SECO-1 was over 113W 26N more or less at an azimuth of 141 deg. That means Vr = 27361 km/hr = 7.6003 km/s has components Vr cos (51 ) east, Vr sin (51) south. Earth rotation vel is 0.4651 km/s at the equator, so 0.418 km/s east at 26N. Adding these gives inertial velocity Vi = (4.783, 5.906) + (0.418, 0.000 ) = (5.201, -5.906) which has norm |Vi| = 7.869 km/s.

137 km perigee with Vi = 7.869 km/s at perigee results in a 137 x 297 km orbit.
A couple tweaks: taking into account the flattening of the Earth, this is actually only 134 km above the 'spherical fiducial Earth' which would give 134 x 287 km.
But: the result is VERY sensitive to the assumed latitude of the burn. If SECO-1
was at 22N instead of 26N, and that's a more realistic estimate when I model the orbit more carefully, the Vi increases to 7.883 km/s and the orbit is 134 x 334 km. So there's a lot of slop given the uncertainties in the input data.

mlindner · « **Reply #75 on:** 03/20/2024 12:17 pm »

Quote from: jcm on 03/20/2024 12:09 pm

Quote from: mlindner on 03/20/2024 11:55 am
Can someone help me with the math? I plug in 137 km altitude at 27361 km/hr to some equations and I get that it should be in an orbit of 137 km x -550 km orbit (that's negative, i.e. within the earth). Does SpaceX use earth's surface based numeric displays?

The quoted speed is Earth-relative, not inertial.

Earth-relative to where? The launch site? Do I need to do a 3D vector subtraction?

jcm · « **Reply #76 on:** 03/20/2024 12:37 pm »

Quote from: mlindner on 03/20/2024 12:17 pm

Quote from: jcm on 03/20/2024 12:09 pm
Quote from: mlindner on 03/20/2024 11:55 am
Can someone help me with the math? I plug in 137 km altitude at 27361 km/hr to some equations and I get that it should be in an orbit of 137 km x -550 km orbit (that's negative, i.e. within the earth). Does SpaceX use earth's surface based numeric displays?

The quoted speed is Earth-relative, not inertial.

Earth-relative to where? The launch site? Do I need to do a 3D vector subtraction?

Relative to the rotating Earth surface, or more precisely to a coordinate frame rotating with the Earth.
See edited post above.

realnouns · « **Reply #77 on:** 03/20/2024 02:39 pm »

Go Beyond returned to PoLB on Mar 20 @ 6:30am PT / 9:30am ET

realnouns · « **Reply #78 on:** 03/20/2024 06:31 pm »

Lindsay C + OCISLY + B1075 returned to PoLB on Mar 20 @ 12:17pm PT / 3:17pm ET

zubenelgenubi · « **Reply #79 on:** 03/21/2024 06:55 pm »

Quote from: jcm on 03/19/2024 07:31 pm

Interestings. I wonder what Hartman's sources are that mean he thinks he can confirm.
It's possible; we'll see if appropriate catalog entries eventually appear. But I am not convinced yet.

Cross-posting a summary of what we currently know. No new "USA" satellites catalog entries yet.
[Love the reaction shot GPSST included.]

Quote from: Salo on 03/21/2024 10:44 am

https://twitter.com/Cosmic_Penguin/status/1769921066594639961
Quote
Cosmic Penguin @Cosmic_Penguin
BTW it looks all but certain 2 out of 22 Starlink satellites on just-launched Group 7-16 are actually “Starshield” sats of the US military:
* Mysterious drop outs in live cam feeds from the 2nd stage during ascent
* No forward looking camera views seen as per usual practices.