SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-26 - SLC-40

[MyJoule]

Looks like there is a launch tonight. ( 11/3/23) from SLC -40 6:30EDT

18th flight of this booster! Amazing It's so routine now no publicity to speak of surrounding it. Hope it's successful



Video link maybe?:

SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft.

www.spacex.com

 

[Grendal]

Launch Date: November 3
Launch Window: 6:30:10PM EDT (3:30:10PM PDT, 22:30:10 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1058.18
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 78

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 116th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-26. The Starlink Group 6-26 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-26 mission is headed to the 43º inclination shell of Starlink's second generation constellation. Satellites in this shell will be orbiting Earth in a 530km circular orbit at 43º inclination. This mission will carry 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

 

[JB47394]

Launch Date: November 3

Welcome back.

 

[Grendal]

Welcome back.

Thank you. Glad to be back.

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1YqxoDMmQvXKv

 

[Cosmacelf]

Wow, very routine, ho hum broadcast with no telecasters except Mission Control call outs. 18th booster reuse, yawn.

Their oldest surviving booster too, about 3.5 years old.

 

[ecarfan]

A historic Falcon 9 made a little more history Friday night

Yes, Starlink launches have become routine, but this one stood out.

With Friday night's flight, this particular booster has launched 846 satellites, most of which have been Starlinks. When you let it sink in, that's a remarkable number. It's more than the total number of satellites in OneWeb's broadband network. The launch Friday night, numbered Starlink 6-26, brought the total number of functional Starlink satellites in orbit to more than 5,000, according to a tabulation by Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and expert tracker of spaceflight activity.

Friday night's mission marked SpaceX's 79th Falcon rocket launch of the year as the company marches toward 100 flights by the end of 2023. Next year, the goal is 144 launches, or an average of one flight every two-and-a-half days. After that, you can count on hundreds more Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy flights before there's ever any serious talk of retiring those vehicles.

 

[Cosmacelf]

A historic Falcon 9 made a little more history Friday night

Yes, Starlink launches have become routine, but this one stood out.

While we marvel at Falcon reuse, don’t forget that all those launches required manufacturing and expending brand new second stages. That Hawthorne factory must be humming! Anyways, think of all the savings once Starship become operational…

 

[ecarfan]

Anyways, think of all the savings once Starship become operational…

For sure, but I think it could be 18-24 months before Starship is ready to take over F9 launches. And even then, will it be the best choice for all SpaceX customers?

 

[JB47394]

And even then, will it be the best choice for all SpaceX customers?

I think it'll depend on how well they can rideshare large payloads. It'll be a balancing act of orbital inclinations and mass versus available fuel. If Starship can drop off four Falcon 9 payloads into the same orbit, it could be a huge win. Elon has talked about absurdly cheap flights with Starship, but if we say that a Starship flight is the same price as a Falcon 9 flight, but you get four times the payload, that's a crazy reduction in cost per kilogram.

If Starship needs to maneuver into different orbits, then it'll need more fuel, meaning less payload. So instead of getting a ride at a quarter of the price, it might only be a third, or a half. Still hugely desirable.

That's all assuming Falcon 9 prices, and I'm guessing that SpaceX is not going to cut their margins any more than they have to. They'll fly their own missions at cost, while doing whatever they can to get maximum profit off customer business. Standard business practice.

 

[ecarfan]

The amazing history of B1058.

 

[JB47394]

Do you know what it costs to clean one of those things?!?

Cool progression.

The turnaround times really surprise me. I thought they could get them back to the launchpad very quickly. Ignoring the 204 and 182 day delays, the average there is 58 days. Per Wikipedia, I counted something like 15 boosters in inventory right now, with another three planned. 58/15 is about 4 days between launches (91 launches per year). 58/18 is closer to 3 days between launches (121 launches per year). Given those numbers, I guess it explains their current launch cadence - barring whatever impact building second stages has.

 

[scaesare]

The amazing history of B1058.

View attachment 989701

Cool graphic....

A buddy was down in FL the other day and sent me this pic, saying that (although harder to see in the pic) he was surprised at how blackened the droneship he saw looked...

 

[scaesare]

Do you know what it costs to clean one of those things?!?

Cool progression.

The turnaround times really surprise me. I thought they could get them back to the launchpad very quickly. Ignoring the 204 and 182 day delays, the average there is 58 days. Per Wikipedia, I counted something like 15 boosters in inventory right now, with another three planned. 58/15 is about 4 days between launches (91 launches per year). 58/18 is closer to 3 days between launches (121 launches per year). Given those numbers, I guess it explains their current launch cadence - barring whatever impact building second stages has.

And would seem on track for the 144/yr goal they have for 2024.