Cape Canaveral, Fla. – SpaceX just launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets for a record seventh time. The booster took a full stack of 60 Starlink Internet satellites into orbit and then prepared for landing at sea.
The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket flew from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here today (November 24), marking the company’s 23rd launch of the year, EDT (GMT on Nov. 25). And the 100th overall flight for the Workhorse Falcon 9.
About 9 minutes later, the first phase of the booster returned to Earth, landing on a SpaceX drone in a simple touchdown in the Atlantic Ocean. The giant ship, known as the “Cf course I still love”, is one of two of the company’s fleet of recovery ships, which catches a falling booster and returns to port.
“For the seventh time, this Falcon has landed,” SpaceX engineer Kate Ties said during a live broadcast.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite launches in megacons installation photos
This was the third attempt to bring the mission off the ground. SpaceX originally planned for a doubleheader over the weekend, as it successfully launched the Sentinel-6 satellite into the orbit of NASA and some partners, but then had to descend from Starlink to try to checkout more on the rocket. A second attempt was scheduled for Monday (Nov. 23), but the SpaceX flight was postponed for another 24 hours due to poor weather conditions in the recovery zone.
It rained on the Space Coast which cleared just before tonight’s liftoff. The rocket rising from the clouds was roaring from the head. As the first phase of the rocket was parting to return to Earth, the clouds cleared and visitors could see the light of the second phase single engine.
The first stage booster featured in today’s flight, known as the B1049, now has seven launches and landings under its belt – the first Falcon with so much flight experience. NXant is a set of satellites and Telstar 18V missions. The landing today marks the Falcon’s first phase of the 67th recovery since SpaceX recovered its first booster in 2015.
Reusable rocket
Today’s flight marks the 23rd SpaceX launch in 2020, the company’s busiest launch year to date. (The previous record was set in 2018, when the company launched 21 times.) The Flight also marks the 100th launch of the Falcon 9 rocket.
Last month, the California-based aerospace company reached the 100th milestone of 100 flights for its Falcon series of rockets, including the Falcon 1 and Falcon Heavy. The company released a video highlighting that achievement. But now the Falcon 9 itself has reached 100.
Hours after testing its SN8 Starship rocket prototype in Texas, SpaceX launched tonight’s Starlink mission. The SN8’s engines were bled for a few seconds before the planned test flight, which could take place early next week.
2020 has already been the banner year for SpaceX. The International Space Station has recorded a record 23 launches of two different astronaut missions in the last six months. This achievement is facilitated by SpaceX’s fleet of flight-proven booster. SpaceX currently has 10 veteran boosters in its rocket reserve and three brand-new heavy boosters that will be used for upcoming military missions. SpaceX has relied on its frequent flights, now launching more refurbished rockets than ever before.
To usher in an era of its fast reusable utility, SpaceX launched a soup-up version of the first phase of its workhorse, the Falcon 9 Block 5, in 2018. This upgraded iteration got new features including a stronger thermal protection system, titanium. Grid fins, more durable intertages (hardware that connects the two phases of a rocket) and more powerful engines.
A communications satellite for Bangladesh, after launching its first payload in 2018, now with over 1.7 million pounds, the upgraded Falcon 9 has performed reliably (although Rocket has experienced two launchpad aircraft in recent months). With that 2018 launch, the company said goodbye to the mediocre reusable Falcons of the past, ushering in a new era in which a single rocket has the ability to fly multiple times.
Since then, SpaceX has been working on ordering its reusable rocket technology. Its track record with flight-proven rockets gave the company the right to launch astronauts on U.S. military and national security payloads, as well as previously launched rockets.
And now the company has launched and landed the same rocket a record seven times.
Related: Space ride (and back) on the SpaceX Falcon 9 in this awesome video
A Starlink megacons installation
SpaceX raises its eye on Mars and hopes to help humanity become a multifaceted species. To help raise money to achieve that bold goal, the company developed a plan to cover the earth with Internet coverage from a network of broadband satellites. The Starlink megacons installation will have thousands of satellites flying close to the planet in Earth orbit.
With tonight’s inauguration, the company has now launched more than 900, quarter-tonne, flat-panel satellites into space – a milestone that will help SpaceX advance its Starlink Internet service. Regulatory hurdles and more satellites remain to be overcome before the global service can be completed, but initial testing is promising, company representatives said.
One of the main goals of SpaceX’s Starlink megacons installation is to provide affordable, more affordable high-speed Internet access around the world, especially in rural and remote areas. For that, the company initially planned for a fleet of 1,440 satellites, but then it got approval for thousands of people.
U.S. The Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX to launch as many as 12,000 of the flat-panel broadband satellites, but SpaceX will not stop there. The company has indicated it will seek approval to launch another 30,000 Starlink satellites to beam high-speed, low-latency Internet signals.
Related: Why SpaceX’s Starlink satellites caught astronomers guarding
Beta testing
The growing Internet service has already gone through a private beta-testing program where company employees push broadband service at its own pace. According to reports from SpaceX team members, current data suggests the service may support multiple high-definition trends at the same time.
SpaceX recently launched a public beta-testing program, inviting users to purchase ground equipment and then test the service. For this test program called “Better Nothing Beta”, users need to purchase Starlink Ground equipment in l 499 and then pay a ફી 99 monthly fee for active service.
Initial public beta testing was limited, but more invitations are expected to come out before the official service begins in January. Project engineers held a Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) over the weekend where they answered questions about the service.
“Starlink is a very flexible system and will get better over time as we make the software smarter. Latency, bandwidth and reliability can all be significantly improved,” the engineers wrote under the Reddit username “Deshimsyflatface”. SpaceX’s nickname for the Starlink Satellite Dish.
The Starlink team also revealed that SpaceX is “steadily increasing network usage over time to bring in as many people as possible,” the team wrote on the AMA thread. “Notably, we are considering moving from a limited beta to a comprehensive beta at the end of January, to give more users a chance to participate.”
“Expect to see data speeds vary by 50 Mbps [megabits per second] To 150 Mbps and 20 mm. [milliseconds] 40 mm in the next few months. As we increase the Starlink system. “There will also be short periods of connectivity,” the invitation said, posted by one user from Washington state and another from Reddit in Wisconsin.
At the AMA, Starlink team members addressed questions about delays and dropouts that users were experiencing.
They wrote, “You should think about communicating between the Starlink dish and the special satellite as a ‘skinning beam’ between the dish and the satellite.” So, as the satellite quickly passes overhead, if there is a branch or pole between the dish and the satellite, you Will lose connection (note – obstacles usually cause an outage and do not slow down!). “
The Starlink team explained how the satellites position the dish. “[The dish] “In the case of Mishkends it is capable of conducting electronic scans in the sky and capable of enabling satellite overhead, even though it travels 17,500 miles of overhead,” Dischimsiflaff replied. “When it detects the satellite, Starlink stays in its position and requests to connect to the Internet. After that, the dish is now able to download a schedule of which satellites to talk to, and when that time comes. Can point directly at. “
The Starlink team also said they are open to users’ ideas on how to improve the plug-and-play experience. “We’ve put in a lot of effort and gone through a lot of creative ideas on how to make the experience as easy as possible – including mounting solutions, automatic pointing of dishes and general unboxing,” wrote the project engineers. .
Dynamic pair
As part of its recovery efforts, SpaceX launched two pairs of ferring catcher boats – the Geo MS. Chief deployed. (Payload fairings surround satellites, protecting them during launch. SpaceX fairings return to Earth in two pieces.)
Another boat damaged on a previous mission, G.O. Ms. The tree is still on the side. Presumably a few sea tests have been conducted before the ship leaves Port Canaveral this week and returns to service.
To help Chief Go, one of SpaceX’s Dragon recovery vessels, GO Inventor, has turned to Faring Catcher to help with recovery efforts in the meantime.
Recovery efforts with Low Mrs. Chief should take place approximately 45 minutes after launch.
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