Starlink flight 7 (x60, v1.0 flight 6) - Falcon 9 - KSC LC-39A - 22.04.2020, 19:30 UTC

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SpaceX ✔@SpaceX 1:27 AM - Apr 23, 2020

Falcon 9 launches 60 Starlink satellites to orbit, completing this booster's fourth flight

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Andrew Jones @Jones4Andrew 11:09 PM - Apr 22, 2020

So here they are, Falcon 9 top stage throwing out a new bunch of Starlink.

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 1:50 AM - Apr 23, 2020

Tracking indicates that Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief are leaving the recovery zone.

No attempt was made to catch the fairing today, they planned to scoop halves from the water.

Sometimes Elon will tweet photos, otherwise, we will have to wait for their return to see how they got on.

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Tim Burgess  @TimBurgess 11:21 PM - Apr 22, 2020

SpaceX Falcon 9 2nd stage with #starlink deployment over the UK Taken with the canon 5dmk3 and 200mm lens @SpaceXStarlink @SpaceX #starlink @VirtualAstro @sarahcruddas @dallascampbell

(0:08)

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John Kraus @johnkrausphotos 2:41 AM - Apr 23, 2020

Falcon's Flame

( / for @SuperclusterHQ)

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Cosmic Perspective @considercosmos 4:34 AM - Apr 23, 2020

Celebrating Earth Day from the same place that first launched our journey towards a more planetary and cosmic perspective: Pad 39A

A beautiful liftoff @SpaceX @elonmusk #EarthDay #SpaceX #CosmicPerspective

(1:42)

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/04/22/spacexs-starlink-network-surpasses-400-satellite-mark-after-successful-launch/

SpaceX's Starlink network surpasses 400-satellite mark after successful launch
April 22, 2020 | Stephen Clark


A Falcon 9 rocket streaks into the sky over Cape Canaveral in this long exposure photo. Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX launched 60 more spacecraft Wednesday to join the Starlink fleet beaming broadband signals around the world, while the company's engineers move closer to debuting a sunshade that could reduce the satellites' impacts on ground-based astronomy.

Riding 1.7 million pounds of thrust fr om nine Merlin main engines, a Falcon 9 rocket took off at 3:30:30 p.m. EDT (1930:30 GMT) Wednesday from pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Falcon 9 launcher, standing 229 feet (70 meters) tall, tilted on a track northeast from Florida's Space Coast and rocketed through a thin layer of high clouds on the way to orbit.

Two-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9's first stage booster shut down and separated to begin a controlled descent back into the atmosphere. The rocket's single-engine upper stage ignited seconds later, and the Falcon 9 released its clamshell-like payload fairing more than three minutes into the mission.

Flying into space for the fourth time, the reusable first stage nailed a pinpoint landing on SpaceX's drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean east of Charleston, South Carolina. Two recovery ships were stationed in the Atlantic to retrieve the rocket's two-piece payload shroud, which was also recycled from a previous flight.

The Falcon 9 rocket released retention rods holding the Starlink satellites to the upper stage around 15 minutes after launch. Video from camera on the rocket showed the 60 flat-panel satellites — each with mass of about a quarter-ton — receding into space over the North Atlantic Ocean.

The satellites were each expected to extend their power-generating solar panel wing go through an activation sequence. Krypton ion thrusters on the spacecraft will boost them from their preliminary elliptical transfer orbit to an operational altitude of 341 miles (550 kilometers) over the coming weeks and months.

The successful launch Wednesday marked the 84th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket since June 2010. That makes SpaceX's Falcon 9 the most-flown orbital-class U.S. launcher currently in operation, exceeding the 83 missions performed by the Atlas 5 rocket built by rival United Launch Alliance.

Wednesday's launch was SpaceX's seventh Falcon 9 mission of the year.

It was the first Falcon 9 launch since March 18, when one of the Falcon 9's nine Merlin booster engines shut down prematurely. The rocket was able to recover from the engine failure, and still placed its payload of 60 Starlink satellites into the planned orbit.

Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, said Wednesday the engine problem was caused by a "small amount of isopropyl alcohol (cleaning fluid)" that was trapped in a "sensor dead leg," or an area wh ere it couldn't flow through. The fluid ignited in flight, causing the engine to automatically shut down.

Lauren Lyons, a SpaceX engineer hosting the company's launch webcast, said ground crews did not perform that particular cleaning procedure on the Falcon 9 rocket used Wednesday.

With Wednesday's launch, SpaceX has delivered 422 Starlink satellites to space, including two prototypes that are now being deorbited. Since last May, SpaceX has orbited 420 Starlink spacecraft. Three of those relay stations are no longer in orbit, according to publicly-available U.S. military tracking data.

SpaceX's next Starlink launch after Wednesday could happen as soon as early May on another Falcon 9 rocket mission from Cape Canaveral.
...

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T.S. Kelso @TSKelso 10:39 AM - Apr 23, 2020

We now have SupTLEs for all 60 #Starlink satellites from the 2020-025 launch on Apr 22. They are tightly bunched, with STARLINK-1325 leading the pack. The SupTLEs will continue to update every ~8 hours.

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 10:55 AM - Apr 23, 2020

Tracking maps indicate that Of Course I Still Love You droneship and the recovery fleet left the landing zone a few hours ago.

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 3:11 PM - Apr 23, 2020

Update! Fleet is moving incredibly slowly - between 1-2 knots, having only traveled about 40km

Possibilities include that they're drifting as they continue to work on OCISLY or battling forecasted bad weather that forced SpaceX to move launch

Difficult to know so don't assume!
https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1253231120394735616 ...


3:22 PM - Apr 23, 2020

...as for the fairing catchers...

They are powering ahead and passed the droneship team at about 1am EDT.

ETA is difficult to predict as speed is variable but looks like an arrival between 12am - 7am EDT overnight tonight

More to follow later.

[Александр Репной]

Данные по последнему запуску Старлинков есть? Я имею ввиду расписание их пролётов? Номер норада или карту тракектории пролётов над Землёй? Собираюсь посмотреть паровозик, пока не разлетеося ещё.

UPD: вопрос исчерпан.

[Apollo13]

84 дня между 3 и 4 пуском ступени 1051. Той самой которая якобы "стукнулись соплами о баржу из-за посадки на пределе возможного".

Rudel написал:
в предпоследнем пуске стукнулись соплами о баржу из-за посадки на пределе возможного (движки скорее всего в утиль)

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 7:03 PM - Apr 23, 2020

OCISLY Update!

The recovery fleet has finally picked up speed and is heading in the direction of Port Canaveral

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 1:06 AM - Apr 24, 2020

Fleet Update!

Ms . Tree and Ms. Chief are halfway through their journey to Port Canaveral. ETA is difficult to predict as speed is varying. Best guess would be sometime after 4am EST tomorrow morning.  

OCISLY is progressing well. A broad ETA is for Saturday morning.

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 2:57 PM - Apr 24, 2020

After a slow crawl throughout the night, the fairing catchers have picked up some speed again.

If they can keep this pace, they'll be arriving at Port Canaveral mid-afternoon today.




3:22 PM - Apr 24, 2020

The weather in the area is fantastically terrible so this turn of speed was a surprise. They've been cruising along at 12 - 13 knots for the last two hours.

Even if they make it back for this afternoon, they may not be let into Port Canaveral til the weather improves.

[Liss]

Красиво они вчера шли над Москвой. Жаль, сегодня погода нелетная.

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Julia @julia_bergeron 6:28 PM - Apr 24, 2020

The #SpaceXFleet is now maneuvering the weather and most likely riding some swells. The skies in the Merritt Island/Port Canaveral area remain grey, windy and full of drizzle. I am hoping to see the catchers make it back later tonight. OCISLY will be harder to predict for a while

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Gavin - SpaceX Fleet Updates @SpaceXFleet 7:37 PM - Apr 24, 2020

Position and arrival times upd ate!

Ms. Tree / Ms. Chief:
Estimated arrival sometime today after 4pm. Speed varying

OCISLY:
Estimated arrival TBD, Sunday probably. Moving slowly in bad weather.




8:31 PM - Apr 24, 2020

Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief are currently se t to arrive at Port Canaveral just after 4pm EDT today.

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Ловцы прибыли. С уловом!

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