CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a new batch of 60 Starlink Internet satellites into orbit early Sunday (March 14) and landed at sea to complete a record-breaking mission.
The veteran Falcon 9 missile is the first in SpaceX’s fleet to launch and land a record nine times. The two-stage launch vehicle fired from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center here in Florida at 6:01 a.m. EDT (1101 GMT).
About nine minutes later, the reusable rocket’s first stage returned to Earth to attempt its ninth landing on SpaceX’s “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The flight is coming just days after the company’s last launch, where another Falcon 9 rocket takes off from the neighboring Space Launch Complex 40, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Both missions delivered a full stack of 60 Starlink satellites in orbit, bringing SpaceX ever closer to filling its original constellation of 1,440 satellites.
Related: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite megaconstellation is launched in photos
It was a crystal clear Florida night as the Falcon’s flames lit up the night sky. Weather forecasters from the 45th Weather Squadron predicted ideal conditions for launch, the only weather problem being the potential for cumulus clouds.
There was not a cloud in the sky, while spectators were treated to an incredible view of the rocket climbing to orbit.
The early morning sky provides some trippy atmospheric effects, and this launch did not disappoint. Below the horizon, the sun illuminated the rocket’s plume, creating dazzling space jellyfish in the sky. This type of phenomenon only occurs at sunrise and sunset.
These launches are often confused with UFOs because of the weird twisting clouds produced. (Spoiler alert: they are definitely not aliens.)
Related: What’s that in the sky? It’s a SpaceX rocket, but it certainly doesn’t look like one
Record-setting flight
The booster, B1051, is one of two in SpaceX’s stable of reusable rockets that has more than seven flights under its belt. The veteran pilot first flew in March 2019, to bring an unmanned Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a demonstration mission.
After that first mission, B1051 traveled across the country to launch of three Earth observation satellites for Canada from SpaceX facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The booster then flew a total of five times from Florida in 2020, with five different Starlink missions and one broadband satellite for Sirius XM
Sunday’s mission marks the eighth flight in total for SpaceX in 2021 and the second flight this year for this particular booster. After its last flight took off on January 20, SpaceX engineers were able to turn it around the booster and prepare for a historic ninth flight in just 53 days – the second fastest turnaround time for this particular booster. (The record was between flights 7 and 8, which took off only 38 days apart.)
The B1051’s counterpart, B1049, has flown eight times, with the most recent flight on March 4, after several delays due to weather and the need for more pre-launch checkouts. SpaceX designed its Falcon 9 rocket to fly a whopping 10 times with little to no adjustments required between flights. As these two boosters approach that 10-flight milestone, the company is closely monitoring the wear and tear that each takes in flight.
With a fleet of proven rockets, SpaceX can keep up with its fast launch cadence. However, company officials have stressed that while booster recovery is a bonus, its main goal is to deliver the payload that the rocket is carrying to space.
Every recovery attempt and subsequent post-flight inspection process, SpaceX learns more and more about how much wear and tear occurs after a launch. The company uses that information to improve and streamline the recovery process.
When the upgraded version of Falcon 9 debuted in 2018, the company said it expected each Falcon 9 first stage to be able to fly an estimated 10 times with little to no refurbishments in between, and as many as 100 times before retirement.
Now the company says the number 10 may be more of a guideline than a hard limit. With the B1051 set to make its ninth flight, it’s very possible that we’ll see at least one, if not more, boosters hit that 10-flight milestone.
On Thursday (March 4), SpaceX’s other fleet leader, B1049, took off on its 8th flight. The booster is back in port, waiting for transport to SpaceX facilities for post-flight inspections and getting ready to fly again.
SpaceX recently lost one of its boosters in February, after it failed to land on the drone ship. The accident ended a 24-booster recovery series the company instituted in 2020, after losing two other boosters in back-to-back accidents.
The loss was attributed to engine failure in flight, which prevented the vehicle from nailing the intended landing site. SpaceX said the shutdown occurred after hot gas leaked into parts of the engine, which was not intended.
Falcon 9 is designed to complete its mission even if one of its engines fails in flight. However, engineers hope that potential software updates can help land the vehicle if such an anomaly occurs.
The constellation is growing
With tonight’s launch success, SpaceX has launched more than 1,300 Starlink satellites into orbit, including some that are no longer operational. And many more launches are on the way, as SpaceX’s first Starlink constellation will consist of 1,440 satellites. However, the company has sought approval for tens of thousands more.
The company launched its massive constellation, with one main goal: to connect the world. To that end, SpaceX has designed a fleet of flat panel broadband satellites that will fly around the Earth and provide internet coverage to users around the world. Particularly those in rural and remote areas who would otherwise have no connectivity.
SpaceX previously announced that it has provided 40 families in Wise County, Virginia, with a user terminal to access its Starlink Internet service. The company has expanded that to two different counties in North Carolina: Swain County on the west of the state and Hide County on the east coast.
Residents in both provinces cannot connect to traditional internet services based on the geography of their respective locations. Neither province has a broadband infrastructure or reliable cellular service, so going to school during the pandemic was challenging. During the launch broadcast, SpaceX revealed that it would help students in these areas with broadband service.
Currently, Starlink is still in beta testing, as SpaceX is working on filling out the original constellation. Users in the US, Canada, UK, Germany and now New Zealand can access the service. SpaceX is taking preorders for when it rolls out full commercial services sometime later this year.
Falling fairings
GO Ms. Tree and GO Ms. Chief, SpaceX’s two newly equipped boats have been sidelined for this mission. Instead, SpaceX has deployed two of its Dragon Chasers: GO Searcher and GO Navigator.
The pair are usually deployed to retrieve Dragon capsules from the water, but they do serve as a backup for the fairings twins and have been the primary means of restoring fairings for the past few missions.
Both fairings on this mission flew earlier the Transporter-1 mission in January, and with a little luck they will fly again soon. Recovery success is usually announced approximately 45 minutes after launch.
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