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[20200708_160227 UTC: Update --martyb]
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1280891612088823808:
Standing down from today’s mission due to weather; proceeding through the countdown until T-1 minute for data collection. Will announce a new target launch date once confirmed on the Range
Original story follows.
SpaceX will try to launch Starlink satellites with "visors" on Tuesday:
The company will seek to launch 57 Starlink satellites, along with two Earth-observation satellites for BlackSky Global, on a Falcon 9 rocket at 11:59am ET on Tuesday (15:59 UTC) from Launch Complex-39A at Kennedy Space Center. The weather looks decent, with a 60-percent chance of favorable conditions at liftoff.
[...] Because SpaceX plans to launch thousands more of these satellites as it builds out a constellation of beacons in low-Earth orbit to provide global Internet service from space, astronomers have understandably begun to raise concerns. They worry both about the night sky for backyard astronomers, as well as sophisticated observatories in Chile, Mauna Kea, and elsewhere.
SpaceX has sought to address the problem, first by darkening the satellites to make them less reflective. Now, the company is taking a bigger step, developing a radio-transparent foam that will flip out from the satellites and prevent reflection.[Picture]
"This visor lays flat on the chassis during launch and deploys during satellite separation from Falcon 9," the company stated. "The visor prevents light from reflecting off of the diffuse antennas by blocking the light from reaching the antennas altogether. Not only does this approach avoid the thermal impacts from surface darkening the antennas, but it should also have a larger impact on brightness reduction."
All of the 57 Starlink satellites on board the Falcon 9 rocket will carry these "visor" sats for the first time.
Though not explicitly stated as such, given there is no stated "launch window", I'd assume this is an instantaneous launch: it launches at the stated time or not at all. It is also unclear at this time whether there will be an attempt at fairing recovery.
The launch will be live-streamed on YouTube starting approximately 15 minutes before scheduled launch time. According to the video's description:
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, July 8 at 11:59 a.m. EDT, 15:59 UTC, for launch of its tenth Starlink mission, which will include 57 Starlink satellites and 2 satellites from BlackSky, a Spaceflight customer. Falcon 9 will lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, July 10 at 11:16 a.m. EDT, 15:16 UTC.
Falcon 9's first stage previously supported Crew Dragon's first demonstration mission to the International Space Station, launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, and the fourth and seventh Starlink missions. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9's first stage on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Previously:
(2020-06-26) SpaceX Starlink and Rideshare Launch Friday Postponed [Updates 2]
(2020-06-13) SpaceX Targeting Starlink + Ride-Share Launch SAT June 13 at 0521 EDT (0921 UTC)
![[Picture]](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/visorsat.png){kind=link}
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:04PM (10 children)
Also, do we need a story for every SpaceX launch?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by martyb on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:18PM (4 children)
Good question!
When SpaceX was first getting started — and especially when booster recovery was a new thing — it seemed worthy of discussion. Now that SpaceX has made rocket landing almost commonplace, there's arguably less value to to covering their Falcon 9 launches.
OTOH, there are still flights to/from the ISS and the upcoming Starship/Superheavy launches that would be more "newsworthy".
It would be helpful to get feedback from the community. What factors should go into the decision on running a story about an upcoming launches? Not just for SpaceX. What about Boeing? SLS? Virgin Galactic? Blue Origin? Rocket Lab?
Wit is intellect, dancing.
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:25PM (3 children)
Running a blurb before the launch reminds users to catch live streams. These could be slotted in between/behind stories.
Otherwise, waiting until it's over makes it easier to determine if it was noteworthy, and prevents situations where the story needs to be bumped repeatedly due to launch scrubs.
Next Rocket Lab launch will be noteworthy since they just had a rocket failure. Every SLS launch will be noteworthy since we want each one to be the last one.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:40PM (2 children)
I pay attention to Space Fright Now dot com. [spaceflightnow.com] Especially the Launch Schedule [spaceflightnow.com] page. I then add SpaceX launches to my calendar, with advance notifications.
It may seem routine to most people, but I'm not bored with watching these launches just yet. SpaceX is the most exciting thing in space for a long while for a nerd.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by aristarchus on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:57PM (1 child)
Seems some are still afraid at the prospect of a launch. The attempt at ameliorating the reflectivity of the Starlink sats is probably news worthy.
And, janrinok probably thinks this is all very STEM is, since there is a chance of things going "boom".
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 09 2020, @05:27AM
Or, perhaps, janrinok would prefer more aristarchus submissions, ones that deal with reality, values, art, and humanity! But, perhaps not. The Minor Buzzard definitely cannot handle such, without a pack of cigs. Ah, Native American Culture!
(Score: 3, Informative) by stormreaver on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:40PM (1 child)
Yes, absolutely!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 08 2020, @10:39PM
No, absolutely not!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 08 2020, @04:42PM (1 child)
That might be nice, at the current pace.
If SpaceX launch cadence gets so frequent that it becomes a problem for SN, that would be even better. :-)
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by stormreaver on Wednesday July 08 2020, @08:06PM
If SpaceX doesn't improve their cadence, it's going to take over twenty years to get all their satellites into orbit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 08 2020, @08:35PM
Certainly do not.
For those wanting to watch a launch, plenty of other sources to plan to watch.
For discussion about litter-bug-starlink or manned launch results (of interest, bus rides to orbit do not count after the first do not count) an article is warranted.
Currently these smack of marketing/fanboi/propaganda pieces.