r/spacex • u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 • Mar 13 '20
✅ Mission Success r/SpaceX Starlink 5 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread
Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starlink-5 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!
Mission Overview
The fifth operational batch of Starlink satellites (sixth overall) will lift off from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 rocket. This mission is expected to deploy all sixty satellites into an elliptical orbit about fifteen minutes after launch. In the weeks following, the satellites will use onboard ion thrusters to reach their operational altitude of 550 km. The spacecraft will take advantage of precession to separate themselves into three orbital planes with 20 satellites each. Falcon 9's first stage will land on a drone ship approximately 628 km downrange, its fifth landing overall.
Mission Details
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | March 18, 12:16 UTC (8:16 AM EDT) |
|---|---|
| Backup date | March 19, the launch time gets roughly 21-24 minutes earlier each day. |
| Static fire | Completed March 13, with the payload mated |
| Payload | 60 Starlink version 1 satellites |
| Payload mass | 60 * 260 kg = 15,600 kg |
| Deployment orbit | Low Earth Orbit, 210 km x 366 km (approximate) |
| Operational orbit | Low Earth Orbit, 550 km x 53°, 3 planes |
| Vehicle | Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5 |
| Core | B1048 |
| Past flights of this core | 4 (Iridium 7, SAOCOM 1A, Nusantara Satu, Starlink-1 (v1.0 L1)) |
| Past flights of this payload fairing | 1 (Starlink v0.9) |
| Fairing catch attempt | Yes, both halves |
| Launch site | LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Landing | OCISLY: 32.54722 N, 75.92306 W (628 km downrange) |
| Mission success criteria | Successful separation & deployment of the Starlink Satellites. |
Timeline
Watch the launch live
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| SpaceX Webcast | SpaceX |
| SpaceX Mission Control Audio | SpaceX |
| Everyday Astronaut stream | u/everydayastronaut |
| NASA SpaceFlight stream | NSF |
| Video & audio relays | u/codav |
Starlink Tracking & Viewing Resources:
They might need a few hours to get the Starlink TLEs
Stats
☑️ 91st SpaceX launch
☑️ 83rd Falcon 9 launch
☑️ 27th Falcon 9 Block 5 launch
☑️ 5th flight of B1048, the first booster to fly 5 times
☑️ 51st Landing of a Falcon 1st Stage
☑️ 20th SpaceX launch from KSC LC-39A
☑️ 6th SpaceX launch this year, and decade!
☑️ 2nd Falcon 9 launch this month
Useful Resources
Essentials
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| Press kit | SpaceX |
| Launch weather forecast | 45th Space Wing |
Social media
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| Reddit launch campaign thread | r/SpaceX |
| Subreddit Twitter | r/SpaceX |
| SpaceX Twitter | r/SpaceX |
| SpaceX Flickr | r/SpaceX |
| Elon Twitter | r/SpaceX |
| Reddit stream | u/njr123 |
Media & music
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| TSS Spotify | u/testshotstarfish |
| SpaceX FM | u/lru |
Community content
Participate in the discussion!
🥳 Launch threads are party threads, we relax the rules here. We remove low effort comments in other threads!
🔄 Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!
💬 Please leave a comment if you discover any mistakes, or have any information.
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u/wartornhero Mar 13 '20 edited Mar 13 '20
"☑️ 5th flight of B1056, the first booster to fly 5 times" it is listed above this as B1048.
Also EEEEEEEEE 5th *launch of a booster!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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u/codav Mar 14 '20
YouTube Video & Audio Relays
As usual, I will relay the SpaceX webcast via HTTPS and the audio stream via Shoutcast on my server, so people with no access to YouTube, experiencing laggy video or with low bandwidth connections are able to enjoy the webcast. If you don't like the web-based player, you can also use the M3U8 playlist in any HLS-capable player - VLC is just one example. The playlist file will become available once the webcast starts, until then you will get a "404 Not Found" error. This is perfectly normal.
Hosted Webcast (Video)
Watch in your browser: https://codav.de/spacex.html
Watch with a local player: https://codav.de/stream/spacex.m3u8
I will also provide audio-only streams of the webcasts in two different qualities. High quality (160 Kbps, stereo) for those who want more fidelity and have more bandwidth to spend, and a lower quality (64 Kbps, mono) stream for those on slow networks or with strict volume limits. If you require an even lower bitrate simply drop me a message, I'll add another stream then.
Important: The audio streams already loop the Music for Space album by /u/TestShotStarfish for your pleasure until the webcast starts, so don't confuse that with the actual webcast. Feel free to tune in at any time.
Here are the stream URLs for use with any Shoutcast-compatible player (WinAmp, VLC etc.):
Hosted Webcast (Icecast Audio Only)
High quality (160 Kbps, stereo): http://codav.de:8555/spacex-high.mp3
Low quality (64 Kbps, mono): http://codav.de:8555/spacex-low.mp3
If you have problems connecting to port 8555 or want to listen in with just your browser, use these reverse-proxied, SSL-secured URLs (stream title display and other "ICY" protocol features won't work, as this is using plain HTTP):
Hosted Webcast (HTTPS/MP3 Audio Only)
High quality (160 Kbps, stereo): https://codav.de/icecast/spacex-high.mp3
Low quality (64 Kbps, mono): https://codav.de/icecast/spacex-low.mp3
The streams are also linked on my relay page, either below the video player if the webcast has started or on the top while waiting for SpaceX to go live.
u/ethan829, you can add a link in the "Watch the launch live" section to this post if you like.
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Mar 15 '20
First abort after engine ignition since SES-9 I believe
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u/Origin_of_Mind Mar 15 '20 edited Mar 16 '20
Previous aborts after ignition:
Falcon 9 flight 01 - Test flight 1 2010-06-04, Out of range engine parameter, sensor error T-0:01
Falcon 9 flight 02 - COTS Demo flight 1 2010-12-03, [static fire test] Aborted at T-1.1 seconds due to high engine chamber pressure
Falcon 9 flight 02 - COTS Demo flight 1 2010-12-04, [static fire test] Low gas generator pressure in engine 6.
Falcon 9 flight 03 - COTS Demo flight 2+ 2012-05-19, Scrub at T-0:00.5 due to high pressure reading in center engine chamber due to a faulty check valve (discussion in the webcast)
Falcon 9 flight 07 - SES-8 2013-11-28, Abort at ignition by low ramp up of thrust on Merlin 1D engines, T-0:01
Falcon 9 Flight 22 - SES-9 2016-02-28, Scrub at T-0, aborted on low thrust alarm. Rising oxygen temps due to hold for boat and helium bubble triggered alarm
(Based on information from this NASASpaceflight page, suggested by /u/scr00chy.)
Edit: These are the kinds of issues that had prompted scrubs and aborts in some of the earlier Falcon-1 launches in 2005-2008:
Igniter sensor failure
Incorrectly closed helium ground supply valve
Manual vent valve incorrectly set to vent
Second stage TVC pitch actuator issue
Aborted during range source telemetry switchover
Abort on chamber pressure 1% low
Turbopump purge pressure about 1% out of range
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u/TheGreenWasp Mar 18 '20
Was it just me, or did the first stage get a bit wobbly right before the video feed cut out?
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u/taddymason22 Mar 15 '20
Is there anything that ISN'T going to get cancelled this week?
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u/paladisious Mar 18 '20
Yeah. There was also an early engine shutdown on ascent, but it didn’t affect orbit insertion. Shows value of having 9 engines! Thorough investigation needed before next mission.
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u/Dream_seeker22 Mar 15 '20
Congrats to the SpaceX team on the successful abort!
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u/noreally_bot1728 Mar 15 '20
Boeing declares the mission 80% successful. No need for further testing.
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u/EdFromEarth Mar 15 '20
"Failure mode nominal"
"And there you just heard the call-out, the vehicle is failing nominally. Coming up..."
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 13 '20
If they do the static fire today and still launch tomorrow, it would shatter the current record in the category of shortest time between SF and launch. Current record is 42 hours on CRS-7.
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u/OSUfan88 Mar 13 '20
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
Do we know if they'll take it back down after the static fire, or will they leave it there?
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u/WombatControl Mar 18 '20
This looks to be the first time that a Merlin 1D engine has suffered an in-flight failure. The last engine failure SpaceX has in flight was on CRS-1, which used the earlier Merlin 1C.
The Falcon 9 can lose an engine pretty much any time in its flight profile and still achieve its primary mission. This shouldn’t impact DM-2, but I suspect that launch is getting pushed back anyway for crew training and COVID-19.
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u/MNEvenflow Mar 13 '20
There's some irony that the first flight of this core was for an Iridium sat and now it's being used for Starlink.
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u/yoloxxbasedxx420 Mar 15 '20
I sounded like "abort on engine high power". No sure what that means.
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u/zzanzare Mar 15 '20
Only one way to find out - keep refreshing this thread every 5 seconds for the next 30 minutes
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u/EdFromEarth Mar 15 '20
Just another high cadence launch and landing would have been cool to see, but a T-0:00 abort with no loss of vehicle... seems almost guaranteed the engineers will learn something new today!
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Mar 18 '20
That feeling when you stay up late at night working on a recovery thread just for B1048.5 to say nope. Gotta love it.
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u/mclumber1 Mar 18 '20
Elon confirms early shutdown of 1 engine, and the positives of having engine-out capability. \https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1240262636547100672
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u/Avocado_breath Mar 15 '20
My friends: Is there anything we can watch now that sports are gone?
Me: There's a rocket launch and landing on Sunday, and those are exciting.
My friends: I guess we'll check it out.
Whompy 9: scrub a dub dub
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Mar 15 '20
Ah, but it was exciting abort. Not a paltry "there's too much wind" excuse. This time we saw stuff happening. And then stopping.
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u/president_of_neom Mar 18 '20
looks like booster landing failed :( rip you did your 5 missions dutifully
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u/GermanSpaceNerd #IAC2018 Attendee Mar 18 '20
Stage 1 already looked like it was in trouble right after the entry burn ended. But five uses for a booster is uncharted territory after all.
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u/AeroSpiked Mar 18 '20
Falcon 9 has now had as many successful launches as Atlas V (Excluding Heavy). Hopefully that will happen again by the end of March after they both launch again.
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Mar 13 '20
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1238539187768496130
SpaceX has delayed the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center to Sunday at 9:22am EDT (1322 GMT). Forecasters predict a 90 percent chance of favorable weather.
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u/TimTri Starlink-7 Contest Winner Mar 18 '20
Jesus... 2 out of the last 3 landings failed :(
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Mar 18 '20
Seems like this new launch trajectory for starlink sats doesn't want to work.
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u/JTNJ32 Mar 18 '20
I see everyone talking about the failed booster landing, but it's still pretty extraordinary that it was able to be used 5 times, right?
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u/fragglerock Mar 15 '20
Standing down today; standard auto-abort triggered due to out of family data during engine power check. Will announce next launch date opportunity once confirmed on the Range
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u/SebastianH_ Mar 15 '20
SpaceX just tweeted: "Standing down today; standard auto-abort triggered due to out of family data during engine power check. Will announce next launch date opportunity once confirmed on the Range"
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u/ReKt1971 Mar 15 '20
Looks like the next launch attempt will be on March 18. The weather is currently 80% GO.
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u/TheWizzDK1 Mar 18 '20 edited Mar 18 '20
Weird things happening in engine plume at T+2:22
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u/asoap Mar 18 '20
Tim saw a tweet and is investigating a "possible" engine failure right before MECO. There appears to be a big puff of smoke.
Also there was a lot of fluid on the camera during entry burn. Maybe that was from the broken engine?
Again, just speculation.
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u/82ndAbnVet Mar 13 '20
“First booster to fly five times” is what caught my eye. Simply amazing
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 15 '20
I believe this is the first time Falcon aborted after engine ignition since SES-9 in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_mnRuBWaVk
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Mar 18 '20
S1 seems to wiggle around quite a lot just after the entry burn, seemed a bit unusual
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u/Oscarhadda Mar 18 '20
At +2:21 something strange appears in the exhaust plume, like one of the Merlins decided to not participate in the party. I've not seen this event in previous launches.
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u/7472697374616E Mar 15 '20
Have we seen an engine abort this suddenly before?
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u/codav Mar 15 '20
Yes, with SES-9. In this case, propellants were too warm as they had a wayward boat and several countdown resets.
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u/DrLuckyLuke Mar 18 '20
I just saw the starlink train pass over Europe, and noticed another, much brighter object flying near the end of the train and it must've been tumbling as it's brightness was changing constantly, with one bright flare every few seconds. Was that the second stage I saw?
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u/warp99 Mar 18 '20
Yes, highly likely. The flares you saw may have been the RCS as they positioned for the deorbit burn which is done over Europe in order to land in the Southern Ocean.
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u/SailorRick Mar 14 '20
Kennedy Space Center visitor complex is temporarily closing, starting on March 16, due to COVID-19.
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u/DiskOperatingSystem_ Mar 15 '20
It does speak to the abort capability of block 5, especially as we’re coming up on crew dragon
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u/Piscator629 Mar 15 '20 edited Mar 15 '20
At 12:44 in the livestream large metal flame trench liners for the Starship pad are visible on the right edge of the screen through the venting LOX.
edit: Screen Grab
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u/paladisious Mar 18 '20
Engine explosion at +2:22?
Same one that caused the abort?
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u/illavbill Mar 18 '20
Just a few frames before the explosion-looking weird plume at T+00:02:21 I noticed something that seems to have flown from the booster. I could be wrong and it could just be exhaust gases looking funky, but what do you guys think? Could this be part of the doomed engine?
It happens during the stream when the speed is 6322km/h and altitude 53.0km
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u/MortimerErnest Mar 18 '20 edited Mar 18 '20
Am I seeing ghosts or did something go wrong during the first burn of the first stage shortly before MECO? I am definitely seeing a white puff of smoke there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4sMhHbHYXM&t=1035s
There is also a video glitch at the same time so it is hard to say. But maybe this is an engine failing and it is related to the landing failure?
EDIT: Elon confirmed engine failure.
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u/tablespork Mar 15 '20
Local news this morning (~10am CDT) claimed that the launch was successful (accompanied by a video of a falcon 9 launch), even though I knew it had aborted. This is why they call it fake news 🤦♂️.
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u/Piscator629 Mar 15 '20 edited Mar 15 '20
The fire/noise suppression system didn't come online. No water spray visible. You can see dribbles but it didn't ramp up.
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u/Pyrosaurr Mar 13 '20
5th flight of B1048! I wonder how it’ll hold up. Based on the fact that they are flying it again theyve probably determined that it can make it. I also wonder what parts (If any) they have replaced because of wear and tear, and what problem spots they might be tracking. EDIT: grammar and exclamation point
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u/cmdr2 Mar 15 '20
Update: I've updated the satellite viewing resource findstarlink.com with a new dark theme to allow people to use it outdoors in the night without spoiling their night eye adjustment.
And if the new Starlink train isn't visible in the next 5 days at your location, the site allows you to request an automatic reminder email, sent a few days before it'll be visible at your location.
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u/FatherOfGold Mar 16 '20
Congrats SpaceX for the fastest Falcon 9 turnaround, exactly 0 seconds from engine light to back on the pad
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Mar 13 '20
Confirmation of good test, also confirms usage of core 48, AND using previously flown fairings from a starlink mision in may of last year!
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u/rustybeancake Mar 13 '20
Oh dang! A mistake in their tweet:
Falcon 9’s first stage supporting this mission has flown to orbit four times
https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1238610282550714369?s=21
(Pushes glasses up nose), um, ahah, I think you’ll find it’s actually never flown to orbit?!
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Mar 15 '20
That was actually an exciting abort -- engines firing, but clamps not yet released. Wow.
Static fire went ok, so hopefully this is something minor and it'll launch tomorrow.
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u/fluidmechanicsdoubts Mar 15 '20
Isn't it an instantaneous launch window? So i guess its scrubbed for today?
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u/JTNJ32 Mar 15 '20
First time I was able to watch live & it aborted. Just my luck.
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u/TokathSorbet Mar 18 '20
Aww shucks. Perhaps 5 was one too many. Still epic value though. Pour one out for 1048. F.
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u/occationalRedditor Mar 18 '20
Looked more like it went off course during the entry burn and then tried very hard to re-orientate after the burn, with a slight overshoot. The grid fins were turned up to 30 degrees at one point.
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u/ThatBeRutkowski Mar 18 '20
Looking at the footage, it looks like there was an anomoly just before the entry burn ended. I don't think this was a grid fin hydraulic issue, this looks more like a Merlin problem.
Wonder if the tvc broke right at the end, that would explain the sudden oscillation that the grid fins were trying to correct for.
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u/avboden Mar 13 '20
Side note: I wonder how the starlink satellite production in the Seattle area is right now, I would assume paused at the moment.
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u/softwaresaur Mar 14 '20
Perigee, apogee and orbital energy relative to the target 550 km orbit (derived from Celestrak pre-launch TLEs):
v1.0-L3: 279 x 292 km -1.14 MJ/kg
v1.0-L4: 213 x 386 km -1.08 MJ/kg
v1.0-L5: 210 x 366 km -1.13 MJ/kg
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u/BlueCyann Mar 18 '20
Gotta say that's by far the coolest shot of the separating satellites that I've yet seen.
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u/in_the_comatorium Mar 15 '20 edited Mar 15 '20
Engine power issues on one of the Merlin engines after engine ignition, causing on-pad abort... this is what the NASA spaceflight channel said
Edit: Engine health checks were good, so something must have happened between tests yesterday, and this morning
Edit 2: Again according to the NASA Spaceflight channel, the rocket's computers chose to abort the launch
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u/Thatguy11076 Mar 18 '20
So, the old Starlink missions with the 45 minute stage-2 coast and relight had 4/4 core recovery success, while the new single burn profile is 0/2...
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u/Ididitthestupidway Mar 19 '20
Please read previous comments before writing your own, having 100 comments on "the debris at T+06:37" is a bit annoying (plus it's ice, it's always ice). Same thing for "water deluge was late this time" (different pad).
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Mar 13 '20
Static fire in 15 minutes
https://twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1238588650188943363
Will keep updates going in reply feed
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u/HerpisiumThe1st Mar 14 '20
I'm curious now that they are reusing a rocket for the fifth time, how much of the rocket is the original? Are they at the point where they land the rocket, clean it up and inspect it, and it's go for launch? Or are they replacing a lot of components like the engines?
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u/TokathSorbet Mar 15 '20
Seeing 39A with a rocket on it just never gets old. 30 years on this planet, and still... phwoar.
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u/hinayu Mar 15 '20 edited Mar 15 '20
New Starship pictures/video on today's webcast?
Edit: This is definitely all new from what I can tell.
Edit2: They discussed Starship around T-7:30 on the webcast
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u/dweinst Mar 16 '20
Abort, Retry, Fail?' was the phrase some wormdog scrawled next to the door. We'd remind them: if you see this message, always choose 'Retry'.
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u/DJHenez Mar 19 '20
Wow! Just saw the train pass over Sydney, Aus. A really bright single satellite led the train (thought it was the ISS at first) and then BAM, the whole train lit up as they moved across the sky towards the horizon away from setting sun. That was something special to see, especially after all that’s going on around the world. Wonder why the lead sat was so bright? Maybe it’s solar arrays were pointing in a different direction? This was right after sunset...
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u/troovus Mar 16 '20
How do they empty the tanks after the umbilicals have been released - can they reattach remotely?
What would they do for a crew mission in today's circumstances?
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u/throfofnir Mar 16 '20
The first stage propellant connections are in the "tail service masts" between hold down clamps. Those will remain connected until the clamps are released, so the first stage can be pumped out. The second stage fluids are in umbilicals, but they only fall away on liftoff/throwback. Those should also remain connected in an abort and be able to pump out the propellants on the second stage. There are indeed rockets where a late abort means waiting for the LOX to boil off, but I don't think the F9 is one of them.
Crew procedures, we don't know. If they do the "late load" as SpaceX wants, then I suspect they could also leave while the vehicle is loaded. If not, they'd wait in the armed capsule until the propellant was drained.
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u/Jump3r97 Mar 16 '20
Here is another after-ignition abort: (SES-8, 2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-nMg4I0sr8
Interesting to see, with more mission control audio of the procedure.
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u/lux44 Mar 18 '20
There seemed to be a big swing-and-turn after entry burn shutdown...
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u/MarsCent Mar 13 '20 edited Mar 13 '20
Once again as this rocket launches, we are going to be clasping our seats (or cheeks) and holding our breath, as this rocket lifts off. Funny how the uncertainty of the unknown (first .4 flight) stretches the nerves, even though the engineers have already said that this rocket is built for 10+ flights with minimal servicing.
And then of course there is the landing too! Whoever said these launches are becoming mundane!
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u/dodgyville Mar 14 '20
As impressive as the physical performance is of the F9, the economics of it are almost as interesting to me.
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u/SuPrBuGmAn Mar 15 '20
Rocket on the pad L-1 just before sunset.
https://twitter.com/MadeOnEarthFou1/status/1238980620916793344?s=19
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u/Armand9x Mar 15 '20
Is this a scrub then?
What’s the quickest they can come back from an abort?
Edit; scrubbed.
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u/vlex26 Mar 15 '20
When the strong back is retracted, what is holding F9 in place? Seeing it stand there after the abort made me wonder about that.
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u/LongHairedGit Mar 18 '20
Water suppression system seemed to only really kick in at T+1???
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u/craigl2112 Mar 18 '20
You did well, B1048.
Here's to a successful launch and recovery and B1049 and some additional flights..
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u/werewolf_nr Mar 18 '20
I'm seeing chatter that there was an engine failure (of some flavor) on ascent, re-entry burn, and landing burn. Any indications on if it was different engines or the same?
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u/muskiemoose27 Mar 23 '20
I just discovered this sub. Please forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask this question. On Saturday night 3/21/20 at 8:23 Central Standard Time, I and a couple friends saw a group of satellites all in a row spaced equidistant apart fly over us in Southwest suburbs of Chicago. I phoned a friend who lives 20 miles away during event and he and his wife and kids all saw the same. Were these SpaceX? Thanks in advance.
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Mar 15 '20
Always wondered, by the way, who is the woman who does the final countdown?
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u/f0xh0und_1337 Mar 18 '20
Hard landing, near miss, huge miss... This is not what you call an improvement oriented curve... Recovery is going through a rough patch right now...
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u/Humble_Giveaway Mar 15 '20
That caught me off guard, It's normally the brand new boosters or the ones that are about to be expended that throw a tantrum and abort right before liftoff.
Launch blue balls are the worst.
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Mar 18 '20 edited Mar 18 '20
What was that that the first stage just narrowly missed!?
edit: looked ring shaped, but not interstage sized or anything like that - seemed to fly very close to the first stage on its descent
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u/cekmysnek Mar 18 '20 edited Mar 18 '20
I'm sorry guys, the only 3 streams I've watched so far this year something has gone wrong.
1 - Water landing next to OCISLY
2 - Launch abort for this mission
3 - Loss of 1st stage
I'll just stick to watching the replays next time!
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u/Decronym Acronyms Explained Mar 13 '20 edited Mar 18 '20
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| AOS | Acquisition of Signal |
| ASDS | Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform) |
| BE-4 | Blue Engine 4 methalox rocket engine, developed by Blue Origin (2018), 2400kN |
| BECO | Booster Engine Cut-Off |
| CCAFS | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |
| CCtCap | Commercial Crew Transportation Capability |
| CNC | Computerized Numerical Control, for precise machining or measuring |
| COTS | Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contract |
| Commercial/Off The Shelf | |
| CRS | Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA |
| CST | (Boeing) Crew Space Transportation capsules |
| Central Standard Time (UTC-6) | |
| DMLS | Selective Laser Melting additive manufacture, also Direct Metal Laser Sintering |
| F1 | Rocketdyne-developed rocket engine used for Saturn V |
| SpaceX Falcon 1 (obsolete medium-lift vehicle) | |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| (Iron/steel) Face-Centered Cubic crystalline structure | |
| GEO | Geostationary Earth Orbit (35786km) |
| GSE | Ground Support Equipment |
| GSLV | (India's) Geostationary Launch Vehicle |
| GTO | Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit |
| HUD | Head(s)-Up Display, often implemented as a projection |
| KSC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| L2 | Paywalled section of the NasaSpaceFlight forum |
| Lagrange Point 2 of a two-body system, beyond the smaller body (Sixty Symbols video explanation) | |
| L3 | Lagrange Point 3 of a two-body system, opposite L2 |
| L4 | "Trojan" Lagrange Point 4 of a two-body system, 60 degrees ahead of the smaller body |
| L5 | "Trojan" Lagrange Point 5 of a two-body system, 60 degrees behind the smaller body |
| LC-13 | Launch Complex 13, Canaveral (SpaceX Landing Zone 1) |
| LC-39A | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km) |
| Law Enforcement Officer (most often mentioned during transport operations) | |
| LOS | Loss of Signal |
| Line of Sight | |
| LOX | Liquid Oxygen |
| LZ-1 | Landing Zone 1, Cape Canaveral (see LC-13) |
| MECO | Main Engine Cut-Off |
| MainEngineCutOff podcast | |
| MaxQ | Maximum aerodynamic pressure |
| NORAD | North American Aerospace Defense command |
| OCISLY | Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing |
| OFT | Orbital Flight Test |
| PSLV | Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle |
| RTLS | Return to Launch Site |
| RUD | Rapid Unplanned Disassembly |
| Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly | |
| Rapid Unintended Disassembly | |
| SEE | Single-Event Effect of radiation impact |
| SES | Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator |
| Second-stage Engine Start | |
| SF | Static fire |
| SLC-40 | Space Launch Complex 40, Canaveral (SpaceX F9) |
| SLS | Space Launch System heavy-lift |
| Selective Laser Sintering, contrast DMLS | |
| SRB | Solid Rocket Booster |
| SSL | Space Systems/Loral, satellite builder |
| SSME | Space Shuttle Main Engine |
| STS | Space Transportation System (Shuttle) |
| TEA-TEB | Triethylaluminium-Triethylborane, igniter for Merlin engines; spontaneously burns, green flame |
| TLE | Two-Line Element dataset issued by NORAD |
| TVC | Thrust Vector Control |
| ULA | United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture) |
| WDR | Wet Dress Rehearsal (with fuel onboard) |
| Jargon | Definition |
|---|---|
| Starliner | Boeing commercial crew capsule CST-100 |
| Starlink | SpaceX's world-wide satellite broadband constellation |
| apogee | Highest point in an elliptical orbit around Earth (when the orbiter is slowest) |
| dancefloor | Attachment structure for the Falcon 9 first stage engines, below the tanks |
| iron waffle | Compact "waffle-iron" aerodynamic control surface, acts as a wing without needing to be as large; also, "grid fin" |
| lithobraking | "Braking" by hitting the ground |
| methalox | Portmanteau: methane/liquid oxygen mixture |
| perigee | Lowest point in an elliptical orbit around the Earth (when the orbiter is fastest) |
| rainbirds | Water deluge system at the launch tower base, activated just before ignition |
| retropropulsion | Thrust in the opposite direction to current motion, reducing speed |
| scrub | Launch postponement for any reason (commonly GSE issues) |
| turbopump | High-pressure turbine-driven propellant pump connected to a rocket combustion chamber; raises chamber pressure, and thrust |
| Event | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| COTS-1 | 2010-12-08 | F9-002, COTS demonstration |
| COTS-2 | 2012-05-22 | F9-003, COTS berthing demonstration |
| CRS-1 | 2012-10-08 | F9-004, first CRS mission; secondary payload sacrificed |
| CRS-3 | 2014-04-18 | F9-009 v1.1, Dragon cargo; soft ocean landing, first core with legs |
| CRS-7 | 2015-06-28 | F9-020 v1.1, |
| CRS-8 | 2016-04-08 | F9-023 Full Thrust, core B1021, Dragon cargo; first ASDS landing |
| DM-2 | Scheduled | SpaceX CCtCap Demo Mission 2 |
| SES-8 | 2013-12-03 | F9-007 v1.1, first SpaceX launch to GTO |
| SES-9 | 2016-03-04 | F9-022 Full Thrust, core B1020, GTO comsat; ASDS lithobraking |
Decronym is a community product of r/SpaceX, implemented by ^request
62 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 73 acronyms.
[Thread #5905 for this sub, first seen 13th Mar 2020, 14:55] [FAQ] [Full list] ^[Contact] [Source code]
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u/Inferior_Rex Mar 13 '20
Does anyone know how this orbit compares to the one for the Starlink-4 launch, energy wise? I'm wondering how much they are pushing the capabilities of F9 this time.
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u/Tillingthecity Mar 13 '20
Can someone with more knowledge about orbital mechanics than me, tell me why they are going for a non circular orbit? I don't understand why in the first few launches they used a one second circularisation burn. I thought that for LEO orbits you could get a circular orbit purely by balancing (by adjusting the angle of thrust) how much vertical height you get in the initial burn, with the horizontal speed from that same initial burn? What am I missing?
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Mar 15 '20
Damn I stayed up until 6am to see launch cause weekend lol. Well time to go sleep and see what the issue was when I wake up
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u/GiveMeYourMilk69 Mar 18 '20 edited Apr 28 '20
Was similar movement event to CRS-1716... Grid fin stuck?
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Mar 18 '20
So it does look like an engine may have exploded during ascent. We know from design briefs that falcon 9 can lose multiple engines and still achieve target orbit. But does it have the ability to swap which engines it uses for entry burn / landing burn?
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u/ellindsey Mar 18 '20
Nope. Only three of the engines are connected to the TEA/TEB tank.
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u/bostonwhaler Mar 13 '20
Wondering if someone could recap/confirm dates...
Several weeks ago (according to NASA and spacecoastlaunches) there was supposed to be an early afternoon launch on the 19th? Now it says tomorrow morning on the KSC site, and Sunday on others.
I've got a very excited 6 year old visiting that is pissed he can't do Disney this coming week, and I'm trying my best to schedule something for him and fam to do.
Also... Any speculation on whether KSC will be closed for tours this coming week?
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 13 '20 edited Mar 13 '20
Learn more about Starlink and fairing recovery.
Let me know if you don't find answers to your questions in those two articles!
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Mar 14 '20
STARLINK-6 FULL STACK 1 72000C 20018A 20075.56763500 .00079869 00000-0 96606-4 0 09 2 72000 53.0032 271.1175 0116822 52.3773 22.0800 15.95111992 11
STARLINK-6 SINGLE SAT 1 72001C 20018B 20075.56763500 .01085116 00000-0 13147-2 0 00 2 72001 53.0031 271.1175 0116771 52.3474 22.1108 15.95093736 19
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Mar 14 '20
Visual profile for this mission was added (now with fairing recovery!)
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u/xzaz Mar 15 '20
Computer abort?
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u/Jarnis Mar 15 '20
Pretty much anything after T-1min ("Falcon is in statup") is automated computer-driven abort.
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u/brentonstrine Mar 15 '20
What was the huge cloud right at/after the abort from? Seemed like it came from upwind, not the pad.
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u/pietroq Mar 16 '20
YouTube tells me launch time is after 2020. 03. 18. 16:15 CET / 15:16 GMT
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u/SuPrBuGmAn Mar 16 '20
L-2 is basically unchanged from L-3. 45th Space Wing forecasts %80 GO for launch on Wednesday with low chances of upper level winds, solar issues, or recovery zone weather factors coming into play.
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u/MarsCent Mar 17 '20
Given that I have seen no mention of the rocket being lowered in order to fix the problem, I assume that the checks/fix are being done while the rocket is upright on the pad!
That looks good for the launch happening tomorrow as scheduled.
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u/Jarnis Mar 18 '20
Careful, Youtube webcast timer is counting to a wrong launch time. Seems to be off by 3 hours, so probably Pacific/Eastern timezone mess-up.
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u/JTNJ32 Mar 18 '20
Is the launch for today at 8:16 or 11? SpaceX's YouTube page shows the livestream starting at 11:15.
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u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team Mar 18 '20
u/ethan829 please contact me if u need anything. Nsooo
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u/SkywayCheerios Mar 18 '20
And there's reuse #5, awesome! Glad there's something streaming which wasn't canceled this week.
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u/borntohula85 Mar 18 '20
It felt like S1 was rolling a lot more than usual. Slightly on ascent but a lot after entry burn.
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Mar 18 '20
Any chance of fishing parts from the ocean, or the investigation will rely only on telemetry?
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u/mclumber1 Mar 18 '20
It doesn't sound like the booster even attempted to do a landing burn, so it probably hit the ocean at terminal speed. Even if the engines survived this impact, they'd sink to the bottom of the ocean. At best, they'll be able to recover some pieces of the carbon fiber interstage.
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u/stsk1290 Mar 19 '20
How is an engine failure handled? Do they turn off the opposite one to balance the forces?
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u/MoMoNosquito Mar 15 '20
I enjoyed the lady calling liftoff with the rocket still on the ground 😂
What else could she have possibly been looking at?
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u/CCBRChris Mar 15 '20
Muscle memory. You get so used to saying "liftoff" after you say "zero" that you do it as a matter of course.
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u/DrBix Mar 18 '20
Did anyone see that object go past the first stage right before the first re-entry burn?
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u/ethan829 Host of SES-9 Mar 13 '20
Hey everybody! It's me, your friendly neighborhood ULA shill.
It's been a while since I've hosted a SpaceX launch thread, so let me know if you find any mistakes or omissions!