SpaceX F9 - East Coast Starlink Launches - LC-39A and SLC-40

SpaceX F9 -Starlink Group 6-43 - SLC-40

Launch Date: March 10
Launch Window: 7:03PM EDT (4:03PM PDT, 23:03 UTC)
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - JRTI
Booster: B1077.11
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 24

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 145th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-43. The Starlink Group 6-43 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-43 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-44 - LC-39A

Launch Date: March 16
Launch Window: 00:21 UTC
Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - JRTI
Booster: B1062.19
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 26

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 147th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-44. The Starlink Group 6-44 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-44 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-42 - SLC-40

Launch Date: March 24
Launch Window: 3:09 UTC
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1060.19
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 29

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 14?nd group of satellites (7?th of 2nd generation) for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-42. The Starlink Group 6-42 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-42 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

 

[scaesare]

OK, I'm, complaining to the management....

These latest missions are carrying 23 sats (and one 24 sat stack recently), yet these pictures only depict 21!

The lazy re-use of stock photos is NOT what I'm paying good money for...

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-46 - SLC-40

Launch Date: March 25
Launch Window: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1078.8
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 30

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 14?nd group of satellites (7?th of 2nd generation) for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-46. The Starlink Group 6-46 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-46 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

And success!

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-45 - SLC-40

Launch Date: March 30
Launch Window: 9:02 pm EDT (01:02 UTC)
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1067.18
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 22 v2 mini Starlink satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 32

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 149th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-45. The Starlink Group 6-46 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.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-47 - SLC-40

Launch Date: April 5
Launch Window: 2:14 am EDT (06:14 UTC)
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - ASOG
Booster: B10...
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 v2 mini Starlink satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 34

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 151st group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-47. The Starlink Group 6-47 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 will be the 298th successful launch in a row since the last failure.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-48 - SLC-40

Launch Date: April 9
Launch Window: TBD
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - ASOG
Booster: B1083.2
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 v2 mini Starlink satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 36

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 153rd group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-48. The Starlink Group 6-48 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 will be the 301st successful launch in a row since the last failure.

 

[JB47394]

This will be the 301st successful launch in a row since the last failure.

If we can deny the Jewish holocaust, then we can deny that there were any launch failures by Falcon 9s.

Which there weren't.

Oh, and stars aren't real.

 

[JohnnyEnglish]

If we can deny the Jewish holocaust, then we can deny that there were any launch failures by Falcon 9s.

Which there weren't.

Oh, and stars aren't real.

I find this post extremely distasteful. It is clear that the dreadful atrocities committed 80 years ago have been widely trivialised in modern parlance but for many of us in Europe the generational scars from that time are still livid. Please find a more appropriate way to express yourself.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-49 - SLC-40

Launch Date: April 12
Launch Window: 9:00pm EST (01:00 UTC)
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1062.20
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 39

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 154th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-49. The Starlink Group 6-49 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-49 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

Booster B1062 will be the first booster to reach 20 launches with this launch!

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-51 - LC-39A

Launch Date: April 17
Launch Window: 4:24pm EST (21:24 UTC)
Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1077.12
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 40

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 155th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-51. The Starlink Group 6-51 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-51 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-52 - SLC-40

Launch Date: April 18
Launch Window: 6:40pm EST (22:40 UTC)
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS
Booster: B1080.7
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 41

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 156th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-52. The Starlink Group 6-52 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-52 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

And Success. Recovery dead center on the ASDS.

 

[Grendal]

SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 6-53 - SLC-40

Launch Date: April 23
Launch Window: 6:40pm EST (22:40 UTC)
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, CCSFS, Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - JRTI
Booster: B1078.9
Fairings: Reused
Mass: 23 Starlink 2.0 mini Satellites
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 42

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 157th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 6-53. The Starlink Group 6-53 mission is a V2 mini launch to their second generation constellation.

The Starlink Group 6-53 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 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 344x353km 43° orbit and from there they'll raise their orbits to operational altitude.

With this launch there should be 5200+ Starlink satellites in orbit and operational with, roughly, 600 more waiting to go operational.

And success - again!

 

[JB47394]

With this launch there should be 5200+ Starlink satellites in orbit and operational with, roughly, 600 more waiting to go operational.

Do you know when the first satellites in normal service will deorbit from end of lifetime?

 

[Grendal]

Do you know when the first satellites in normal service will deorbit from end of lifetime?

If I remember correctly, the original statement on a Starlink satellites operational life was five years. That could easily be adjusted with improvements and real world data. Here is a current breakdown of each operational group and how many are functioning compared to satellites decaying/deorbited:

Group 1: 80.7% - 19.3% - All are v1.0 and a few v1.5 and they've been up the longest
Group 2: 98.8% - 1.2%
Group 3: 95.7% - 4.3%
Group 4: 95.5% - 4.5%
Group 5: 99% - 1%
Group 6: 98% - 2%

 

[JB47394]

Here is a current breakdown of each operational group and how many are functioning compared to satellites decaying/deorbited:

Thanks for the numbers. I also found this page.

List of Starlink and Starshield launches - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So if the operational lifetime is five years, then they should start losing them at the following monthly rates in each year:

2025 116
2026 78
2027 137
2028 163
2029 167 (average from 3.5 months of launches this year)

That is the monthly rate at which SpaceX has to loft satellites if they want to keep the current constellation running. To expand it, they'll have to go even faster. Either with a quicker Falcon 9 cadence, or with Starship.

Note that 2025 will see nearly 4 satellites coming down each day. It rises to over 5 a day in 2028.

 

[MyJoule]

Nice clear launch today- Bulls eye landing. Noticed the contrail left a nice shadow in the clouds. that was fun

Sure continue to make it look easy