The 52 new Starlink satellites launched into one of five orbital “shells” in SpaceX’s internet constellation.Īfter four Starlink launches from Vandenberg during the summer into Shell 3, one of the network’s two polar orbit shells, SpaceX targeted Shell 4 with Wendnesday’s mission. The satellites will go through an automated checkout and activation sequence, then use krypton-fueled ion thrusters to raise their altitude to 335 miles (540 kilometers), where they will enter operational service in the Starlink network. The satellites deployed from the Falcon 9 around 62 minutes after liftoff, and SpaceX declared mission success.įour retention rods jettisoned to allow the flat-packed Starlink satellites to fly free of the rocket.Īfter separating from the Falcon 9, the Starlink satellites were expected to disperse and extend solar panels to begin generating electricity to recharge their batteries. The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued Wednesday’s mission and ignited two times to inject the 52 Starlink satellites into a near-circular orbit at an average altitude of around 193 miles (311 kilometers), with an inclination angle of 53.2 degrees to the equator. After landing Wednesday following the Starlink 4-29 launch, the booster will return to port in California for refurbishment and reuse.Īll of the booster’s flights so far have launched from Vandenberg. The rocket flew again in April on the NRO’s NROL-85 mission, launched the German military’s SARah 1 radar reconnaissance satellite in June, then most recently flew July 22 on a Starlink mission. The reusable booster stage completed its fifth flight, following a debut launch in February on the NROL-87 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket landed on the drone ship less than nine minutes after launching, using propulsive braking burns to slow down and target the football field-size vessel. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster, tail number B1071, detached from the upper stage about two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff to head for an offshore landing on SpaceX’s drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” parked in the Pacific. Powered by nine kerosene-fueled main engines, the Starlink 4-29 mission headed southeast from Vandenberg on a trajectory over the Pacific Ocean, parallel to the coast of Southern California and Baja California. Another Falcon 9 rocket is being readied for liftoff Thursday evening at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with two commercial TV broadcasting satellites for Intelsat. ![]() The mission from Vandenberg, designated Starlink 4-29, was the 45th SpaceX launch of the year, and the second of three Falcon 9 missions on the company’s schedule this week. EDT 2310:30 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg, located on California’s Central Coast about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) liquid-fueled launcher lifted off at 4:10:30 p.m. Seven hours after a Falcon 9 launcher carried a four-person crew into orbit from Florida, SpaceX sent aloft another Falcon 9 from a foggy California spaceport Wednesday evening with 52 more Starlink internet satellites, setting a new record for the shortest interval between two flights of SpaceX’s workhorse rocket. It will be the 61st SpaceX mission primarily devoted to deploying Starlink internet satellites.A Falcon 9 rocket climbs above a fog layer over Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, to begin the Starlink 4-29 mission. The launch will mark the 176th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket, the 42nd Falcon 9 launch of the year, and the third Falcon 9 mission this month. The primary weather concerns are again associated with the threat of lightning. The weather forecast for Wednesday night is also iffy, with 50-50 odds of acceptable conditions for liftoff. SpaceX rescheduled the launch for a backup opportunity at 9:48 p.m. ![]() The risk of lightning is one of the key weather parameters monitored at Cape Canaveral before every launch. ![]() as lightning flashes lit up the sky over Florida’s Space Coast. The launcher will deliver the next 54 satellites into orbit for SpaceX’s global broadband network, called Starlink, providing consumer-grade connectivity to users in 40 countries.īut the launch team scrubbed the launch attempt shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0210 GMT Wednesday) to begin the Starlink 4-34 mission. The Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to lift off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:10 p.m. ![]() SpaceX called off a launch attempt Tuesday at Cape Canaveral due to lightning, delaying liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and 54 more Starlink internet satellites by 24 hours until Wednesday night.
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