Subj : SpaceX to launch morning Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center To : All From : NasaSpaceFlight Date : Fri May 06 2022 08:00:04 SpaceX to launch morning Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center Date: Fri, 06 May 2022 06:59:32 +0000 Description: SpaceX is set to launch 53 internet communication satellites to low Earth orbit on the The post SpaceX to launch morning Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com . FULL STORY ====================================================================== SpaceX is set to launch 53 internet communication satellites to low Earth orbit on the Starlink Group 4-17 mission. With liftoff scheduled for 09:42 UTC (5:42 AM EDT), the Falcon 9 will launch from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A). This mission will mark SpaceXs 18th mission of 2022, marking a pace of one Falcon 9 launch every seven days. In the event of a scrub, there is a backup window less than 24 hours later on May 7. The 53 Starlink satellites will be placed into an initial 53.22-degree inclination, 285 km by 308 km low Earth Orbit. In a process that takes months, the satellites will slowly raise their orbit to a 53.2 degree, 540 km circular orbit using their onboard Krypton ion engines. Citing the cumulus cloud rule as the primary weather concern, the 45th Weather Squadrons weather forecast predicts conditions will be greater than 90% go for launch. However, they cite upper-level wind shear as moderate. SpaceXs autonomous spaceport drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas is positioned 643 km downrange. ASOG was tugged downrange by SpaceXs tri-purpose boat Doug, which is serving as the ASDS tug, support, and fairing recovery vessel. The booster supporting this mission is B1051-12, the third Falcon 9 booster to fly for the 12th time. B1058s missions Launch Date (UTC) Turnaround Time (Days) SpaceX Demo-2 May 30, 2020 19:22 N/A ANASIS-II July 20, 2020 21:30 51.09 Starlink v1.0 L12 October 6, 2020 11:29 77.58 CRS-21 December 6, 2020 16:17 61.20 Transporter-1 January 24, 2021 15:00 48.95 Starlink v1.0 L20 March 11, 2021 08:13 45.72 Starlink v1.0 L23 April 7, 2021 16:34 27.35 Starlink v1.0 L26 May 15, 2021 22:56 38.27 Starlink Group 4-1 November 13, 2021 12:19 181.56 Transporter-3 January 13, 2022 15:25 61.13 Starlink Group 4-8 February 21, 2022 14:44 38.97 As the name implies, this Starlink mission is targeting the fourth shell of Starlink phase one. This shell is in a 540 km circular orbit. The shell that a certain Starlink launch is targeting can be found inside of the name: the first number, in this case 4 for Starlink Group 4-8, is the shell that the satellites will be deployed into. SpaceX is hoping to launch 60 missions in 2022, with about 40 of these being Starlink missions. See Also Starlink 4-17 Updates SpaceX Missions Section L2 SpaceX Section Click here to Join L2 Ahead of the launch, B1058 did not perform a static fire. The rocket rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) hours ahead of launch where it was then made vertical using the transporter erector (T/E). The T/E is used to fuel the second stage of the vehicle, provide structural support while vertical, provide power and air conditioning to the payload, and take the Falcon 9 from its horizontal position to its vertical position. At T-38 minutes the Launch Director will verify that the vehicle is go for propellant loading. Pending all teams being go, three minutes later, SpaceX will begin loading subcooled RP-1 onto both the first stage and the second stage, as well as super chilled Liquid Oxygen (LOX) onto the first stage. The Falcon 9 uses RP-1 which is cooled to -7 C and LOX which is cooled to -205 C. By further chilling, therefore increasing the density of propellants, SpaceX can get more performance out of the Falcon 9something that is crucial for reuse. This also comes with the trade-off that SpaceX is unable to hold the countdown once fuel loading has started. At T-1 minute, the Falcon 9 will enter start-up and begin tank pressurization for flight. At this time the Falcon 9 is fully in charge of its countdownall technical aborts from this point forward will be handled by the vehicle itself, and not the ground operators. At T-3 seconds, the boosters flight computer will command the ignition of the first stages 9 Merlin 1D engines. The engines on the first stage ignite in pairs to reduce startup transients and loads on the vehicle. Once the vehicle has ensured that all systems are nominal, the Falcon 9 will command for the hydraulic clamps at the base of the vehicle to release, letting the Falcon 9 lift off from the pad. HR/MIN/SEC EVENT 00:01:12 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket) 00:02:31 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO) 00:02:35 1st and 2nd stages separate 00:02:41 2nd stage engine starts 00:02:48 Fairing deployment 00:06:14 1st stage entry burn start 00:06:33 1st stage entry burn complete 00:08:04 1st stage landing burn start 00:08:26 1st stage landing 00:08:47 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1) 00:45:28 2nd stage engine starts 00:45:29 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2) 00:54:30 Starlink satellites deploy Once the satellites have deployed from the second stage, the second stage will perform a third deorbit burn. SpaceX is expected to have two more Starlink missions in May: one from Vandenberg on May 10 and another from the Cape on May 17. Additionally, on May 25, SpaceX will launch the fifth dedicated rideshare mission, Transporter-5. (Lead photo: Falcon 9 B1058 at LC-39A before the Starlink v1.0 L12 mission in October 2020. Credit: Stephen Marr for NSF) The post SpaceX to launch morning Starlink mission from Kennedy Space Center appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com . ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/05/starlink-4-17/ --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Science News (1337:1/100) .