My hypothesis: There is something or somethings different about at least some of the payloads to justify the new Group 10 designation.
CelesTrak has pre-launch SupGP data for the @Starlink Group 10-1 launch from Cape Canaveral on 2024-06-08 at 00:00:00 UTC: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/table.php?FILE=starlink-g10-1. Deployment of 22 satellites at 00:52:41.040 UTC. Data for 7 backup launch opportunities also provided: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/supplemental/. [Jun 7]
Orbit: 266 x 279 km x 53.16 deg
The Starlink Group 10-1 shows 9 brighter satellites and 13 dimmer ones. 🤔
Long shot.
@elonmusk, what is special about @SpaceX #starlink Group 10-1? Apart from the lower orbital altitude, why does it contain 9 very bright and 13 rather dim satellites? Especially when compared to to group 8-5 and 8-8, the brightness was very high. [observed June 8 UTC]
cc @Marco_Langbroek
Bob returned to PC on Jun 9 @ 5:31pm ET
Signet Warhorse I + ASOG + B1069 returned to PC on Jun 10 @ 6:39pm ET
According to an undisclosed source at @SpaceX:
"This is an image captured when half of the train was being send to higher altitude. It’s a lucky shot"
The Starlink Group 10-1 shows 9 brighter satellites and 13 dimmer ones. 🤔
https://twitter.com/pfsmet/status/1799722005820068305
Long shot.
@elonmusk, what is special about @SpaceX #starlink Group 10-1? Apart from the lower orbital altitude, why does it contain 9 very bright and 13 rather dim satellites? Especially when compared to to group 8-5 and 8-8, the brightness was very high.
cc @Marco_Langbroek
All of the satellite names on Space-Track from this flight are similar to the Starlinks in Group 6 and the non-DTC in Group 8, like STARLINK-31xxx and STARLINK-32xxx. The DTC sats in Group 8 are named STARLINK-11xxx.