SpaceX F9 - Starlink Group 4-23 - SLC-40

[Grendal]

Launch Date: August 27
Launch Window: 10:22pm EDT (7:22pm PDT, 02:22 UTC on the 28th)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - ASOG
Booster: B1069.2
Fairings: Reused - 3rd time each
Mass: 54 satellites - 36,800 pounds, or 16.7 metric tons
Orbit: LEO
Yearly Launch Number: 38th

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 58th group of satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 4-23. This batch of satellites is headed to the 4th shell of the first generation constellation of Starlink which is comprised of about 72 orbital planes located at 540km in altitude and 53.2º of orbital inclination.

 

[Cosmacelf]

You know, there’s four more Starlink launches expected in august? 4-27 and 4-23 have launch dates while 4-20 and 3-4 are NET August. You can’t say SpaceX isn’t doing their very best they can to get more capacity into the sky.

 

[Grendal]

You know, there’s four more Starlink launches expected in august? 4-27 and 4-23 have launch dates while 4-20 and 3-4 are NET August. You can’t say SpaceX isn’t doing their very best they can to get more capacity into the sky.

I get my launch schedule by checking three areas. #1 is Facebook SpaceX Curated, #2 is Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches on wikipedia, and #3 is NASA Spaceflight Now. NSF used to be my "go-to" place for future launches but they seem to only update every three or four days.

 

[Cosmacelf]

I get my launch schedule by checking three areas. #1 is Facebook SpaceX Curated, #2 is Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches on wikipedia, and #3 is NASA Spaceflight Now. NSF used to be my "go-to" place for future launches but they seem to only update every three or four days.

This is good too. Next Spaceflight

 

[Grendal]

Weather is not good in the early forrecast. Though the last launch had bad weather too but it was completely clear for the launch.

 

[Grendal]

 

[Grendal]

Yet another successful launch, MECO, stage sep, landing, and orbital insertion. Deployment will be posted on Twitter.

And deployed:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563737483862454272

 

[ecarfan]

Ho hum, another booster landing…

 

[HVM]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563735859752419328

Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563737483862454272

Deployment of 54 Starlink satellites confirmed

 

[MyJoule]

Always fun to see, This one had an "extra" Starlink satellite on board making it the heaviest launch with a recovery, according to Jessie..

 

[HVM]

Always fun to see, This one had an "extra" Starlink satellite on board making it the heaviest launch with a recovery, according to Jessie..

https://twitter.com/x/status/1563760585363185664

Squeezing extra performance out of Falcon 9 – almost at 17 metric tons to an actual useful orbit with booster & fairing reusable!

 

[Grendal]

I know the launch is old but I just caught that the booster had been swapped out just before launch. This launch happened with B1069, which was the booster that had been damaged on return to the Cape from the CRS-24 launch. They repaired it and it was finally reused here for it's second launch.

 

[Cosmacelf]

I know the launch is old but I just caught that the booster had been swapped out just before launch. This launch happened with B1069, which was the booster that had been damaged on return to the Cape from the CRS-24 launch. They repaired it and it was finally reused here for it's second launch.

I read that they replaced some (all?) of the engines which is why they got better performance. Even the Merlin engines still keep getting better.