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Blue hour at SLC-40 where SpaceX’s Falcon 9 B1049.6 is ready to launch the 11th batch of Starlink satellites.
Trevor Mahlmann
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A very sooty booster after 5 launches and landings indeed,
Trevor Mahlmann
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Reused booster: check.
Trevor Mahlmann
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Reused legs: check.
Trevor Mahlmann
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Reused fairings: check.
Trevor Mahlmann
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Close up of the previously used fairing.
Trevor Mahlmann
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I spit with my little eye, an icon for fairing catcher boat on the fairing.
Trevor Mahlmann
Let’s spare a moment of thought for B1049, a Falcon 9 first-stage booster that made its debut in September 2018 with the launch of the Telstar 18V commercial mission. Then, in January 2019, the nucleus launched another commercial mission, sending a pile of Iridium satellites into space.
Both were successes. Since then, the first stage has embarked on three different Starlink missions to low-Earth orbit, as SpaceX seeks to expand a constellation of satellites to deliver broadband Internet from space.
The Starlink platform could eventually become a very profitable company to SpaceX, although there remains a lot of work to be done in relation to ground stations to receive signals, comply with regulations, and more. But what’s no doubt is that Starlink missions have allowed SpaceX to push the boundaries of giant with its Falcon 9 rocket.
The company did not fly commercial satellites as primary payloads on missiles above its third flight – and risked its own Starlink satellites on the fourth and fifth flights of several Falcon 9 first stages. And it is worth noting that each Starlink mission has been a success in terms of getting its satellites into orbit.
There are some lessons learned along the way. In March, on its fifth flight, a Falcon 9 first stage received an early engine stop on its way to orbit which precluded a successful landing of the first stage. This was later removed after a problematic chemical was used in the process of cleaning the engines between flights.
These are the kinds of things engineers learn about the Falcon 9 rocket as they sink deeper into unfamiliar ground. Will other aging problems arise as boosters fly more missions? We can figure it out today when B1049 becomes the first stage to attempt six flights in orbit. This mission will transport 58 Starlink satellites and three SkySats for Planet.
A webcast for the launch should start about 15 minutes before the start time of 10:31 am ET (14:31 UTC).
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Listing image by Trevor Mahlmann
