SpaceX efficiently despatched 22 extra V2 mini Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station in Florida very early this morning.
Following a number of climate delays, the Falcon 9 launched at 1:17 a.m. ET (05:17 UTC), heading to the Southeast to insert the Starlink satellites into the correct 43-degree orbital inclination.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/hyr81mdZTU
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 11, 2023
The 22 satellites separated from the 2nd stage simply over 1 hour after launching from Florida and bringing the full variety of Starlink satellites to 4,940. There are simply over 4,500 Starlink satellites which might be working, with 3,854 being of their operational orbits, in keeping with the Jonathan McDowells Starlink tracker.
This was 4th mission for SpaceX within the final 8 days and the fifty fifth mission of the 12 months. There are 4 extra missions at the moment scheduled between the Japanese and Western ranges for August with likelihood of extra being added. SpaceX is basically solely utilizing 2 out of its 3 launch pads for Starlink and buyer launches as Launch Complicated 39A is being readied for the Crew 7 launch that’s at the moment scheduled for August twenty fifth.
In a enjoyable “coincidence,” the Falcon 9 that launched the Group 6-9 mission was Booster 1069, which was flying on its ninth flight. B1069 efficiently landed on the droneship “Simply Learn the Directions” 8 and a half minutes after launch.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Simply Learn the Directions droneship pic.twitter.com/YJadybqd9L
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 11, 2023
B1069 has had one of many extra attention-grabbing histories of the present fleet of Falcon 9 boosters, following its first flight by which it carried out nominally. After touchdown, there was some type of mishap on the droneship, presumably resulting from tough seas. The primary stage slid across the deck and the Octograbber beneath brought on injury to the booster’s Merlin 1D engine nozzles.
The rocket was ultimately secured and introduced again with a heavy lean. SpaceX repaired the booster and has now accomplished 9 flights, together with 5 Starlink missions, 3 industrial missions, and an ISS resupply mission.
B1069 returning to Port Canaveral after its first flight (Credit score Richard Angle)
One other SpaceX document was damaged with this launch, the fairings on this mission had been flying for his or her tenth and eleventh occasions. That is the primary time a fairing half had flown for 11 occasions.
SpaceX will now take a “break” of kinds, with the subsequent launch at the moment being scheduled no sooner than August 16 from SLC-40 in Florida.
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