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CAP CANAVERAL, Fla .– SpaceX has launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets for a record seventh time. The booster carried a full stack of 60 Starlink Internet satellites into orbit, and then made a successful landing at sea.
The double-decker Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 here today (November 24) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base at 9:13 p.m. EDT (0213 GMT November 25), marking the 23rd launch of the year of the society. and the 100th flight to the general for the Falcon 9 workhorse.
About 9 minutes later, the first stage of the thruster returned to Earth, landing on one of SpaceX’s drones in the Atlantic Ocean in a soft landing. The massive ship, called “Of course I still love you,” is one of two salvage vessels in the company’s fleet that grab the dropping thrusters and return them to port.
“For the seventh time this Falcon has landed,” SpaceX engineer Kate Tice said during the live broadcast of the launch.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation launches in photos
It was the third attempt to get this mission off the ground. SpaceX had originally planned a dual schedule this weekend, as it successfully put the Sentinel-6 satellite into orbit for NASA and several partners, but then had to pull out of the Starlink to try and do more checks on the rocket. . Another attempt was scheduled for Monday, November 23, but poor weather conditions in the recovery area forced SpaceX to postpone the flight for an additional 24 hours.
There was rain on the Space Coast which cleared just before takeoff this evening. The rocket thundered overhead as it climbed through the clouds. As the first stage of the rocket separated to return to Earth, the clouds dissipated and onlookers could see the second stage’s unique engine light up.
The first stage booster featured in today’s flight, known as the B1049, now has seven launches and landings to its name – the first Falcon 9 with so much flying experience. This frequent traveler has now transported five different Starlink bundles to space, along with a set of Iridium NEXT satellites and the Telstar 18V mission. The landing today marked the 67th recovery of a Falcon first stage since SpaceX recovered its first booster in 2015.
Reusable rockets
Today’s flight marked SpaceX’s 23rd 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 a Falcon 9 rocket.
Last month, the California-based aerospace company hit its 100-flight centenary for its Falcon rocket series, which also included the Falcon 1 and Falcon Heavy. The company released a video highlighting this achievement. But now the Falcon 9 has hit 100 on its own as well.
SpaceX launched tonight’s Starlink mission just hours after testing its prototype SN8 Starship rocket in Texas. SN8’s engines blazed for several seconds before a scheduled test flight that could take place as early as next week.
2020 has already been a banner year for SpaceX. The 23 record-breaking launches include two different astronaut missions to the International Space Station over the past six months, the very first private crewed flights to the orbiting laboratory. This achievement is facilitated by SpaceX’s fleet of flight-tested boosters. SpaceX currently has 10 veteran boosters in its rocket reserves and three new heavy boosters that will be used for an upcoming military mission. SpaceX has leaned on its frequent flyers, having now launched more refurbished rockets than new ones.
To kick off its era of rapid reuse, SpaceX launched an improved version of its workhorse, the Falcon 9 Block 5 first stage, in 2018. This improved iteration received a host of new features, including a more thermal protection system. sturdy, titanium grille fins, a more durable interstage (the material that connects the two stages of the rocket) and more powerful engines.
Now packing over 1.7 million pounds of thrust, the upgraded Falcon 9 has performed reliably (although the rocket has experienced two launch pad abortions in recent months) since launching its first payload in 2018. , a communications satellite for Bangladesh. With this launch in 2018, the company said goodbye to the moderately reusable Falcons of the past, ushering in a new era in which the same rocket has the ability to fly multiple times.
SpaceX has since worked to perfect its reusable rocket technology. Its history of flight-proven rockets has even earned the company the right to launch U.S. military and national security payloads as well as astronauts on previously used rockets.
And now the company has launched and landed the same rocket a record seven times.
Related: Hitchhike into space (and back) on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in this awesome video
A Starlink mega-stellation
SpaceX is targeting Mars and hopes to help make humanity a multiplanetary species. To help raise funds to achieve this bold goal, the company has devised a plan to cover Earth with Internet coverage broadcast by a network of broadband satellites. This Starlink mega-constellation would be made up of thousands of satellites, flying close to the planet in low earth orbit.
With tonight’s launch, the company has now sent more than 900 of the quarter-ton flat-panel satellites into space – a milestone that will help SpaceX roll out its Starlink Internet service. There are still regulatory hurdles to overcome and more satellites to launch before the service can be offered globally, but early tests are showing promise, company officials said.
SpaceX’s Starlink mega-constellation has one primary goal in mind: to provide more affordable high-speed internet access around the world, especially for rural and remote areas. To this end, the company had initially planned a fleet of 1,440 satellites, but has since gained approval for thousands more.
The United States Federal Communications Commission has cleared SpaceX to launch up to 12,000 flat-panel broadband satellites, but SpaceX may not stop there. The company said it may seek approval to launch up to 30,000 additional Starlink satellites to transmit high-speed, low-latency Internet signals.
Related: Why SpaceX’s Starlink satellites caught astronomers off guard
Beta tests
The booming internet service has already undergone a private beta testing program in which company employees put broadband service to the test. According to reports from SpaceX team members, current data indicates that the service can support multiple high-definition streams at the same time.
SpaceX recently rolled out a public beta test program, prompting users to purchase equipment on the ground and then test the service. The test program, dubbed “Better Than Nothing Beta,” requires users to purchase Starlink ground equipment for $ 499 and then pay a monthly fee of $ 99 for active service.
The initial public beta test was limited, but more invites are expected to come out in January before the official service rolls out. Project engineers held a Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) over the weekend to answer questions about the service.
“Starlink is an extremely flexible system that will improve over time as we make the software smarter. Latency, bandwidth, and reliability can all be dramatically improved,” the engineers wrote under the username Reddit “DishyMcFlatface”, SpaceX’s nickname for the Starlink satellite dish.
The Starlink team also revealed that SpaceX “steadily increases network access over time to attract as many people as possible,” the team wrote on the AMA thread. “In particular, we plan to move from a limited beta to a larger beta at the end of January, which should give more users the opportunity to participate.”
“Expect to see data speeds vary by 50 Mbps [megabits per second] at 150 Mbps and 20 ms latency [milliseconds] at 40ms over the next few months as we improve the Starlink system. There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all, ”said the invitation, which was posted on Reddit by one user in Washington state and another in Wisconsin.
In the AMA, members of the Starlink team answered questions about latency and dropouts experienced by users.
“You should think of the communication between the Starlink antenna and the satellite in space as a ‘skinny beam’ between Dishy and the satellite,” they wrote. “So because the satellite passes quickly over your head, if there is a branch or pole between the antenna and the satellite, you will usually lose the connection (note – obstructions usually cause outages and not reduced speeds!).
The Starlink team also explained how the antenna locates satellites. “[The dish] is able to electronically scan the sky in milliseconds and lock into the satellite’s sky, even if it is moving at 17,500 mph above its head, “DishyMcFlatface replied.” When it detects a satellite, the Starlink focuses on its position and makes a request to join the Internet. After that, the antenna is able to download a schedule of the next satellites to talk to, and with that, it can point directly to the satellites when the time comes. “
The Starlink team also said they are open to ideas from users on how to improve the plug-and-play experience. “We’ve put in a lot of effort and gone through tons and tons of creative ideas on how to make this experience as easy as possible – including editing solutions, automated dish pointing and general unboxing.” , wrote the project engineers.
Dynamic duo
As part of its recovery efforts, SpaceX deployed one of its double-faired recovery boats – GO Ms. Chief. (The payload shrouds surround the satellites, protecting them during launch. The SpaceX shrouds return to Earth in two pieces.)
The other boat, GO Ms. Tree, is still on the sidelines after being damaged in a previous mission. The ship was spotted leaving Port Canaveral this week and potentially doing a few sea trials before returning to service.
To aid GO Ms. Chief, one of SpaceX’s Dragon salvage ships, GO Searcher, has been converted to a fairing catcher to aid recovery efforts in the interim.
Recovery efforts with GO Ms. Chief are expected to take place approximately 45 minutes after launch.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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