SpaceX successfully orbited a second batch of 60 Starlink satellites, landed the Falcon 9 booster that launched it, and captured both sides of the rocket’s payload ferring.
Starlink-13 is now the second time that SpaceX has received a Falcon 9 booster And Shy three months after the first success, both ferries caught on the same mission.
The first full-ferling catch was made just three months ago by SpaceX during the launch of Anasis II’s military communications satellite for South Korea. About an hour after the Falcon 9’s July 20 lift off, SpaceX confirmed a back-to-back catch, followed by onboard video showing both catches.
Go for twin recovery ships Mrs. Tree (formerly Mr. Steven) and Geo Ms. Chief, the successful recovery recovery effectively marked the first time that the pair had achieved their goal of a fully-fledged recovery recovery. Technically, SpaceX has already proven that faring huffs can be flown at least three times even after missed catches and splashdown of the ocean, but avoiding saltwater immersion helps prevent corrosion and makes it easier to reuse.
One step further, both Starlink-13 Falcon Faring Huffs, captured on October 18th, have launched the SpaceX twice before – the second and third time SpaceX has flown the same ferry half and three times. Unfortunately, one of the two parts of the ship was apparently torn when it was captured from the retaining vessel and can be seen banging against the net’s supporting auxiliary weapons. SpaceX will have to determine if it has been damaged that could prevent future reuse.
Meanwhile, about thirty minutes before Mrs. Tree and Mrs. Chief’s second Faring Recovery Hate Trick, the assigned Falcon 9 Booster of Starlink-13 successfully landed on the Dorship of Course I Steve Love You (OCISLY). The B1051 was commissioned and originally commissioned to support Crew Dragon’s false orbital launch debut in March 2019. The Starlink-13 was the sixth successful launch and landing of the first phase, making it the second Falcon 9 booster to complete six flights.
For the Starlink-13, – a five-flight booster and two-flight ferring – and a successful recovery – this means that the marginal cost of the SpaceX mission was slightly higher than the cost of the Propellant (<$ 500k) and the Falcon 9. Busy upper phase (10 M 10 M), the equivalent of an incredible ~ 700 equivalent per kilogram of actual Starlink satellites. Assuming that each Starlink satellite costs about 250k, it is easy to assume that SpaceX regularly launches 60 high-performance communications satellites at a price of just M25M-30M.
As an example of that extraordinary affordability effect, if SpaceX had put the full amount of its latest $ 2BD capital to the Starlink mission, it could complete 60-80 launches, orbiting about 3600-4800 new satellites. The full first phase of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation – offering uninterrupted broadband internet anywhere on Earth – requires 00 4400 satellites.
Coincidentally, the Falcon 9B1049 – the first booster to launch and land six times – the B1051 appeared just outside SpaceX’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) LC-39A launch facility (October 17) before taking off from the same pad. The booster seems to be more or less waiting for its next flight, which means that all the post-flight process has been completed since its last start on August 18th.
