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posted by martyb on Saturday July 11 2020, @01:24PM   Printer-friendly

[20200711_145309 UTC. Update]:

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1281942134736617472

Standing down from today's launch of the tenth Starlink mission to allow more time for checkouts; team is working to identify the next launch opportunity. Will announce a new target date once confirmed with the Range


[Ed note: based on community feedback, this story is not in the normal story cadence; no story was displaced to fit this into today's story schedule. It is listed more as an announcement that a launch is coming for those who might want to watch it and would not know otherwise. Also, this is Rocket Science™ so there is a possibility things might go boom. --martyb]

According to Spaceflight Now SpaceX is going to make another attempt at a Starlink 9/BlackSky Global launch today (90 minutes from when this story goes live) at 1054 EDT (1454 UTC):

Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch the tenth batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 9. Two Earth observation microsatellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company, will launch as rideshare payloads on this mission. Moved forward from June 24. Delayed from June 23, June 25 and June 26. Scrubbed on July 8 due to poor weather.

Have been unable, as yet, to find an official stream on SpaceX's YouTube channel. Official SpaceX live stream. Here is a link to Everyday Astronaut's Live Stream on YouTube.

Previously:
(2020-07-08) Today's SpaceX Starlink Launch of Satellites with "Visors" Scrubbed Due to Weather [Updated]
(2020-06-26) SpaceX Starlink and Rideshare Launch Friday Postponed [Updates 2]


Original Submission

Related Stories

SpaceX Starlink and Rideshare Launch Friday Postponed [Updates 2] 2 comments

[20200626_175532 UTC Update 2]:
According to a story on Ars Technica: "1:45pm ET Friday Update: SpaceX has scrubbed its Starlink launch attempt for Friday. No details of why were immediately available."

[20200626_154830 UTC Update 1]:
The launch is to be live-streamed on YouTube; launch coverage usually begins 15 minutes before launch.


According to the launch schedule at Spaceflight Now, SpaceX is scheduled to launch another batch of Starlink satellites today along with two rideshare satellites for BlackSky Global:

Launch time: 2018 GMT (4:18 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch the tenth batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 9. Two Earth observation microsatellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company, will launch as rideshare payloads on this mission.

This Starlink launch has been twice-postponed because of weather.

Planning ahead, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the third U.S. Air Force third-generation GPS satellite on Tuesday, June 30th. That launch window is 1955-2010 GMT (3:55-4:10 p.m. EDT).


Original Submission

Today's SpaceX Starlink Launch of Satellites with "Visors" Scrubbed Due to Weather [Updated] 13 comments

[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)


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @02:47PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @02:47PM (#1019524)

    It's much easier to go boom than go up. Those hobby high power Aerotech ammonium perchlorate rocket motors had to have just enough but not too much Teflon grease on the motor case o-rings or they would misfire past the o-ring and blow the parachute ejection charge on the pad.

    • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Saturday July 11 2020, @02:59PM

      by linkdude64 (5482) on Saturday July 11 2020, @02:59PM (#1019529)

      ok

    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @04:11PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @04:11PM (#1019572)

      I hope it does explode.

      • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @04:56PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @04:56PM (#1019596)

        I hope you catch the virus.

        • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @05:39PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 11 2020, @05:39PM (#1019610)

          They will whether it explodes or not. Starlinks are just spray cans afterall spreading the virus particles /con

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