Timeline for Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites – Spaceflight Now

Date: | Category: Science News

Discover the foremost events of the Falcon 9 rocket’s ascent to orbit with 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network.

The 229-foot-mountainous (70-meter) rocket is scheduled to get off Monday at 10: 05: 55 a.m. EST (1505: 55 GMT) from the Advanced 40 open pad at Cape Canaveral Air Power Space in Florida.

The Falcon 9 will head northeast from Cape Canaveral over the Atlantic Ocean to location the 60 Starlink satellites into an elliptical orbit ranging between 131 miles (212 kilometers) and 239 miles (386 kilometers) above Earth. The satellites will expend their ion thrusters to maneuver into their elevated orbit for sorting out, sooner than lastly persevering with to an operational orbit at an altitude of roughly 341 miles (550 kilometers).

The open profile for Monday’s mission is diverse from the old four dedicated Falcon 9 launches for the Starlink network. As an different of deploying the Starlink satellites into a circular orbit round 61 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 will open the stack of 60 flat-panel Starlink relay stations into an elliptical, or egg-formed, orbit roughly 15 minutes into the mission.

The Falcon 9’s first stage will target a touchdown on SpaceX’s drone ship “Of Direction I Aloof Savor You” in the Atlantic Ocean almost 400 miles (630 kilometers) northeast of Cape Canaveral.

The foremost stage booster launching tonight previously flew on three missions. The booster first launched from Cape Canaveral with a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule on the CRS-17 house station resupply mission in Also can 2019, then launched all as soon as more in July 2019 from Cape Canaveral on the CRS-18 cargo mission. Most not too long in the past, the booster flew on the JCSAT 18/Kacific 1 mission from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 16.

For Monday’s mission, SpaceX will moreover strive to get both halves of the Falcon 9’s payload fairing the usage of nets aboard the ocean-going ships “Ms. Tree” and “Ms. Chief” in the Atlantic Ocean. The strive to get the fairing will advance round 45 minutes after liftoff.

Knowledge source: SpaceX

T-0: 00: 00: Liftoff

After the rocket’s nine Merlin engines pass an automated health check, hold-down clamps will release the Falcon 9 booster for liftoff from Complex 4src.
After the rocket’s nine Merlin engines pass an automatic health evaluate, possess-down clamps will open the Falcon 9 booster for liftoff from pad 40.

T+0: 01: 13: Max Q

The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure.
The Falcon 9 rocket reaches Max Q, the level of most aerodynamic force, about a seconds after surpassing the rate of sound.

T+0: 02: 32: MECO

The Falcon 9’s nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.
The Falcon 9’s nine Merlin 1D engines shut down.

T+0: 02: 35: Stage 1 Separation

The Falcon 9’s first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.
The Falcon 9’s first stage separates from the second stage moments after MECO.

T+0: 02: 43: Stage 2 Ignition

The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for an approximately 6-minute burn to inject the Jason 3 satellite into a parking orbit.
The second stage Merlin 1D vacuum engine ignites for an approximately six-and-a-half-minute burn to inject the Starlink satellites into a parking orbit.

T+0: 03: 10: Fairing Jettison

The 5.2-meter (17.1-foot) diameter payload fairing jettisons once the Falcon 9 rocket ascends through the dense lower atmosphere. The 43-foot-tall fairing is made of two clamshell-like halves composed of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb core.
The 5.2-meter (17.1-foot) diameter payload fairing jettisons as soon as the Falcon 9 rocket ascends via the dense decrease ambiance. The 43-foot-mountainous fairing is fabricated from two clamshell-love halves tranquil of carbon fiber with an aluminum honeycomb core.

T+0: 07: 07: Stage 1 Entry Burn Total

A subset of the first stage’s Merlin 1D engines completes an entry burn to gradual down for touchdown. A final touchdown burn will happen appropriate sooner than touchdown on SpaceX’s drone ship “Of Direction I Aloof Savor You” round 385 miles (620 kilometers) northeast of Cape Canaveral.

T+0: 08: 45: Stage 1 Touchdown

The Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage booster touches down on SpaceX’s drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

T+0: 08: 50: SECO 1

The Merlin 1D vacuum engine turns off after putting the Starlink satellites in an elliptical orbit ranging between 131 miles (212 kilometers) and 239 miles (386 kilometers) above Earth, with an inclination of 53 levels.

T+0: 14: 46: Starlink Deployment

The 60 flat-panel Starlink satellites, every with a mass of about 573 pounds (260 kilograms) deploy from the Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage.

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Discover Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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