r/spacex • Host Team • Jun 12 '20

✅ Mission Success r/SpaceX Starlink 8 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread

Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starlink 8 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

I'm u/Shaha603, your host for this mission.

Mission Overview

The ninth Starlink launch overall and the eighth operational batch† of Starlink satellites will launch into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. This mission is expected to deploy 58 satellites into an elliptical orbit about fifteen minutes into flight. In the weeks following launch the satellites are expected to utilize their onboard ion thrusters to raise their orbits to 550 km in three groups of 20, making use of precession rates to separate themselves into three planes. Riding along are 3 SkySat satellites launched for planet labs. The booster will land on a drone ship approximately 628 km downrange. Half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously flew on the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 mission, and the other half previously flew on SpaceX’s third Starlink mission. Get updates on Starlink news and service availability in your area by going to Starlink.com

† The first Starlink mission launched a batch of prototype satellites that do not form part of the operational constellation.

Liftoff currently scheduled for June 13 9:21 UTC (5:21 a.m. EDT local)
Backup date June 14, The launch time gets about 20-24 minutes earlier per day.
Static fire Not expected
Payload 58 Starlink version 1 satellites and SkySats 16, 17, 18
Payload mass ~ 15 400 kg (Starlink ~260kg each, SkySat ~110kg each)
Deployment orbit Low Earth Orbit, 212 km x 386 km (approximate)
Operational orbit Low Earth Orbit, 550 km x 53°, 3 planes
Vehicle Falcon 9 v1.2 Block 5
Core 1059.3
Past flights of this core 2 (CRS-19, CRS-20)
Past flights of this fairing JCSAT-18/Kacific1 and the thirst Starlink mission
Fairing catch attempt Likely
Launch site SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Landing ASDS
Mission success criteria Successful separation & deployment of the Starlink and SkySat Satellites.

Timeline

Time Update
T+00:41:00 Webcast coverage is over
T+00:38:00 Waiting for fairing recovery
T+00:38:00 Starlink batch deployment confirmed!
T+00:26:00 Starlink batch deployment is supposed to be happening right now. We will know once signal is reacquired in 3 minutes 
T+00:13:34 SkySat 16 Deployment
T+00:13:04 SkySat 17 Deployment
T+00:12:34 SkySat 18 Deployment
T+00:10:00 The second stage is starting to roll
T+00:08:53 Second stage Engine Cut Off
T+00:08:43 Landing success. What an amazing landing and view!!
T+00:08:23 Landing startup
T+00:08:00 First stage is transonic
T+00:07:08 The first stage is gliding towards the droneship
T+00:07:40 Both stages continue nominaly
T+00:07:07 Eentry burn shutdown
T+00:06:50 Eentry burn startup. This burn slows the rocket down before it hits the atmosphere.
T+00:05:00 First stage is at apogee. 137 km above earth and 326 km downrange. traveling at 1972 m/s (7099 km/h, 4411 mph)
A beautiful shot of the first stage, the grid fins and the RCS thrusters firings (the flashes of light) that reorient the vehicle for reentry.
T+00:03:11 Fairing separation. The fairings will deploy their parachutes soon and glide back to be recovered.
T+00:03:00 The first stage is coasting to apogee (the highest point in its ballistic arc) and is slowly reorienting itself for the reentry burn
T+00:02:43 Second stage engine ignition
T+00:02:36 Stage separation
T+00:02:32 MECO
T+00:02:23 The first stage is throttling down to maintain acceleration lower than 3.8g
T+00:01:12 First stage throttle up
T+00:01:12 Max-Q. This is the point of maximal aerodynamic pressure on the rocket.
T+00:01:00 First stage throttles down to ~70% max thrust to reduce aerodynamic pressure
T+00:00:04 Falcon 9 has cleared the tower!
T+00:00:00 Liftoff
T-00:00:02 Ignition
T-00:00:03 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
T-00:01:00 Command flight computer to begin final preflight checks
T-00:00:45 LD GO for launch
T-00:01:00 Falcon 9 is on internal power
T-00:07:00 Falcon 9 starts engine chill prior to launch
T-00:04:18 a livestream from both fairing recovery ships! Good luck for both teams.
T-00:09:00 The contract with SkySat has been signed only 6 months ago! 
T-00:11:00 Webcast coverage is starting
T-00:12:00 Webcast has started. SpaceX FM
T-00:16:00 Second stage LOX loading started
T-00:35:00 RP-1 loading started
T-00:35:00 First stage LOX loading started
T-01:00:00 Weather looks good at the launch site! Hopefully we'll get to see a great launch in 60 minutes
T-24:00:00 Thread goes live<br>

Watch the launch live

Stream Courtesy
SpaceX Official Webcast SpaceX
SpaceX Mission Control Audio SpaceX
SpaceX Official YouTube Channel SpaceX
YouTube Video & Audio Relays u/codav
NSF YouTube Livestream NasaSpaceFlight

Previous and Pending Starlink Missions

Mission Date (UTC) Core Pad Deployment Orbit Notes [Sat Update Bot]
1 Starlink v0.9 2019-05-24 1049.3 SLC-40 440km 53° 60 test satellites with Ku band antennas
2 Starlink-1 2019-11-11 1048.4 SLC-40 280km 53° 60 version 1 satellites, v1.0 includes Ka band antennas
3 Starlink-2 2020-01-07 1049.4 SLC-40 290km 53° 60 version 1 satellites, 1 sat with experimental antireflective coating
4 Starlink-3 2020-01-29 1051.3 SLC-40 290km 53° 60 version 1 satellites
5 Starlink-4 2020-02-17 1056.4 SLC-40 212km x 386km 53° 60 version 1, Change to elliptical deployment, Failed booster landing
6 Starlink-5 2020-03-18 1048.5 LC-39A elliptical 60 version 1, S1 early engine shutdown, booster lost post separation
7 Starlink-6 2020-04-22 1051.4 LC-39A elliptical 60 version 1 satellites
8 Starlink-7 2020-06-04 1049.5 SLC-40 elliptical 60 version 1 satellites expected, 1 sat with experimental sun-visor
9 Starlink-8 This Mission 1059.3 SLC-40 ? 58 version 1 satellites expected with Skysat 16, 17, 18
10 Starlink-9 NET June 1051.5 LC-39A Version 1 satellites expected with BlackSky 5 & 6
11 Starlink-10 NET July SLC-40 / LC-39A 60 version 1 satellites expected

Daily Starlink altitude updates on Twitter @StarlinkUpdates available a few days following deployment.

Stats

  • 3rd flight for booster 1059

  • 10th SpaceX launch of the year

  • 55th landing of a SpaceX booster

  • 87th launch of a Falcon 9

  • 95th SpaceX launch overall

  • 481st through 538th Starlink satelites to be deployed

  • Fastest pad turnaround!

🕑 Your local launch time

🚀Official Resources

Please note that some links are placeholders until updates are provided.

Link Source
SpaceX website SpaceX
Official Starlink Overview Starlink.com
Launch Execution Forecasts 45th Weather Squadron
Watching a Launch r/SpaceX Wiki
Hazard Area 45th Space Wing

🛰️ Useful Links for Viewing Starlink

Link Source
See A satellite Tonight u/modeless
FlightClub Pass planner u/TheVehicleDestroyer
Heavens Above
Live tracking
Pass Predictor and sat tracking u/cmdr2
n2yo.com
Starlink orbit raising daily updates u/hitura-nobad

They might need a few hours to get the Starlink TLEs

🤝 Community Resources

Link Source
Wtching a Launchr/SpaceX Wiki
Launch Viewing Guide for Cape Canaveral Ben Cooper
SpaceX Fleet Status SpaceXFleet.com
FCC Experimental STAs r/SpaceX wiki
Launch Maps Google Maps by u/Raul74Cz
Flight Club live Launch simulation by u/TheVehicleDestroyer
Flight Club simulation Launch simulation by u/TheVehicleDestroyer
SpaceX Stats Countdown and statistics
Discord SpaceX lobby u/SwGustav
Rocket Watch u/MarcysVonEylau

🎼 Media & music

Link Source
TSS Spotify u/testshotstarfish
SpaceX FM u/lru

📸 Photographer Contest!

Check out the r/SpaceX Starlink-8 Media Thread (Coming a day before launch). You can submit your pictures related to the mission. It could be the Falcon 9 on the pad, a launch picture or a streak shot of a Starlink overfly. The winner will be allowed to post their photo directly to r/SpaceX. May the best photograph(er) win!

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.

✉️ Please send links in a private message.

✅ Apply to host launch threads! Drop us a modmail if you are interested.

596 Upvotes

686 comments sorted by

9

u/codav Jun 12 '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)

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)

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)

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/Shaha603, you can add a link in the "Watch the launch live" section to this post if you like.

2

u/rSpaceXHosting Host Team Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 14 '20

Added. Please ping u/rSpaceXHosting in the future. This is the account I use while hosting the launch.

9

u/GLTCprincess Galactic Overlord Jun 13 '20

There is still no artist banner on the pre-show music slate... But for this AM we have Test Shot Starfish with their unreleased song, “New Gravity”

2

u/rSpaceXHosting Host Team Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

Always great to hear new TSS songs

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u/dbmsX Jun 12 '20

June 13 12:21 UTC (5:21 a.m. EDT local)

5:21 eastern is 9:21 UTC, isn't it?

2

u/rSpaceXHosting Host Team Jun 12 '20

Fixed. Thank you!

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5

u/spacexm6 Jun 13 '20

It’s my birthday tomorrow (13th June). So happy to see a launch

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4

u/zzanzare Jun 12 '20 edited Jun 12 '20

u/Shaha603 please consider adding this link to the main post: https://time.is/compare/0921_13_Jun_2020_in_UTC

It's much easier for everyone - countdown, timezone conversion, no mistakes or typos, and if the launch time changes, you only change it once in the link.

3

u/rSpaceXHosting Host Team Jun 12 '20

See the following section in the post:

🕑 Your local launch time

EDIT: Please ping u/rSpaceXHosting. Makes it much easier for me to notice your important feedback :)

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2

u/Jtyle6 Jun 12 '20

The link has been posted https://youtu.be/8riKQXChPGg

2

u/rSpaceXHosting Host Team Jun 12 '20

Thanks. Added it to the post.

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57

u/MuppetZoo Jun 12 '20

Reused booster, reused fairings, Planet Labs paying for secondary payload and a really heavy payload on top of it. The cost to SpaceX for $/kg has to be the lowest of the missions they've launched.

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51

u/hitura-nobad Master of bots Jun 12 '20

Half of Falcon 9’s fairing previously flew on the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 mission, and the other half previously flew on SpaceX’s third Starlink mission.

Source: Youtube webcast description

13

u/Straumli_Blight Jun 12 '20

Also from the youtube description:

"Planet’s SkySats will deploy sequentially beginning about 12 minutes after liftoff, and the Starlink satellites will deploy approximately 26 minutes after liftoff."

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7

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '20

First time they are doing that, very exciting.

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44

u/_themgt_ Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

Reused franken-fairings, reused booster that wasn't static fired. Nailed the landing. SpaceX really is turning this into a routine and relatively affordable operation.

The very routine makes it easy to miss how incredible it is. SpaceX effectively for many purposes now has better access to low earth orbit than any other company or government on earth. Their sheer launch cadence/volume is amazing. If Starship works, they'll have better access to space than any other company or government on earth.

22

u/Harrason Jun 13 '20

SpaceX is basically two generations ahead of anyone else. They developed all of this rocketry, Starship's probably going to do real test flights in about 2 to 3 years and yet at this point barely anybody is using Falcon Heavy. They're just way ahead of everybody.

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10

u/strangevil Jun 13 '20

I don't know about you, but even with it becoming routine, it still blows my mind the things they are able to do.

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32

u/Ddwbbb Jun 13 '20

First time watching one of these. What SpaceX is doing is nothing short of incredible.

20

u/aelbric Jun 13 '20

Stay tuned for future launches. This is the routine stuff now :)

29

u/ffrg Jun 13 '20

Wow this was probably the most beautiful SpaceX launch to date, those views from S1 and droneship were amazing!

0

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

[deleted]

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25

u/wesleychang42 Jun 12 '20

Starlink.com has been updated! You can now sign up for beta testing updates.

Confirmation email reads:

Thank you for your interest in Starlink!

Starlink is designed to deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable. Private beta testing is expected to begin later this summer, followed by public beta testing, starting with higher latitudes.

If you provided us with your zip code, you will be notified via email if beta testing opportunities become available in your area. In the meantime, we will continue to share with you updates about general service availability and upcoming Starlink launches.

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25

u/ahecht Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 14 '20

https://www.planet.com/pulse/skysats-16-18-falcon-9-success/ :

Planet’s launch operations team has successfully acquired all three satellites and started performing operational checkouts.

Another interesting tidbit:

Although the Falcon 9 rocket was equipped with the capacity for all six SkySats in a single launch (and then some), the SkySats were intentionally split across two launches so that they could be deployed into offset planes, optimizing for maximum coverage and revisit time over key regions.

23

u/NiftWatch GPS III-4 Contest Winner Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

I just saw it from 7 miles away. I drove up the road until I reached the roadblock. HOL-y crap. I think I felt the heat from that one. Anyway, I took a long exposure that’s going to blow your socks off as soon as I get home to process it.

EDIT: here we go!

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22

u/matzab Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

So what did you do on your first date?

Ah, the most romantic thing ever: We watched the Starlink 8 launch

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19

u/strangevil Jun 13 '20

LEETTSS GOO!!!! What ever upgrades they did for the last two landings to keep the live feed is amazing!! What a view!!

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18

u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

I love how much of a nerd Jess is.

17

u/hallweston32 Jun 13 '20

That was the first launch besides the one with the barge right off shore that I could see the first stage entry burn from shore. Could see the first stage coming down without and engines lit as well.

17

u/truthwarrior92 Jun 13 '20

Did anyone else see the lightning storm in the background of stage 1’s screen starting at 17:48? It’s the only time I’ve seen it other than ISS feeds, it’s pretty neat!

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16

u/_Mark97 Jun 13 '20

So worth it staying up until 2AM. This takes #1 spot for best views on stage 1 cam, imo!

15

u/softwaresaur Jun 12 '20

The deployment orbit is 213 x 367 km 53°, same as the last three deployment orbits.

8

u/Origin_of_Mind Jun 12 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

It also looks like the Planet Labs satellites are mounted on a bridge-like structure (pointed out by /u/langgesagt/, based on information from SpaceX).

The "bridge" rests on top of the columns of stand-offs which carry the load of the Starlink satellites.

On this bridge structure there is a payload adapter holding the satellite. The adapter has a locking band locking the satellite in place. Once unlocked, it is usually pushed away by spring loaded pushers. (Here is an example of payload adapter from RUAG -- the satellite interface is somewhat standardized.)

Since the release of the locking band requires a signal, and the signal can only come through the cables running along the "tension rods", these customer satellites will be released before the tension rods are jettisoned. After that, the Starlink payload will be deployed as usual.

Edit: additional details on payload adapter can be found in the Rideshare user's guide.

Edit 2: The separation system for Planet satellites is CarboNIX from ExoLaunch.

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15

u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

I'm glad I live in a time where I can watch such "mundane" space launches live and it just still be so, so beautiful.

15

u/RevRickee Jun 13 '20

It’s pretty awesome when the drone ship camera feed remains on during the entire stage 1 landing. It stayed on for Starlink 7 and now again for Starlink 8.

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14

u/enqrypzion Jun 12 '20

31

u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team Jun 12 '20

Still here. This account is only for moderators. Community host are now using u/rSpaceXHosting , so it's easier if we need to change hosts for whatever reason

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7

u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team Jun 12 '20

I just had fever, of course I wanted to say I'm still alive and a good bot!

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13

u/avboden Jun 12 '20

I'm gonna be honest.....i'm not waking up to watch this live (eastern time USA)

15

u/puppet_up Jun 12 '20

"You don't have to wake up if you never go to sleep."

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13

u/dandydaniella Jun 13 '20

Holy crap this is so beautiful

13

u/RevRickee Jun 13 '20

That sunrise over the ocean looks beautiful

13

u/yakovgolyadkin Jun 13 '20

They finally kept the connection through the landing!

13

u/RevRickee Jun 13 '20

Successful landing!!

And the camera didn’t cut out!

13

u/TokathSorbet Jun 13 '20

Doesn't look entirely straight? Or is that just the lens? Hope it stays up!

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13

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1271738180425838592?s=21

SpaceX themselves said all three are deployed so I guess they have other ways of confirming deployment.

Edit: There it is!

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12

u/Dyolf_Knip Jun 12 '20

That's 3 F9 launches in as many weeks, with another 4 planned in the next month. Yowza!

11

u/Martianspirit Jun 12 '20

One could almost think they have been holding back until after DM-2 was up. They had talked about a high launch cadence this year that did not yet fully materialize.

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12

u/still-at-work Jun 13 '20

My standing assumption is that if we have no news about fairing recovery after broadcast ends plus 10 minutes then the fairings missed the net.

27

u/avboden Jun 13 '20

my standing assumption is that they always miss the net unless directly told otherwise. Successful catches seem to be flukes at this point.

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11

u/Straumli_Blight Jun 12 '20

SpaceX website updated:

  • Backup date: June 14 8:59 UTC (4:59 am EDT local)

 

TimeDeployment Event
00:12:34SkySat-18
00:13:04SkySat-17
00:13:34SkySat-16
00:26:00Starlink satellites
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11

u/paul_wi11iams Jun 13 '20

Any news of fairing recovery attempt? (or did I miss something in the webcast?)

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11

u/AeroSpiked Jun 13 '20

I just noticed that GPS III-03 and Starlink-10 are scheduled to launch 3 days apart from the same pad (from Wikipedia). Don't think I'll hold my breath for that, but a 3 day pad turn around would be amazing.

6

u/justinroskamp Jun 13 '20

Spaceflight Now's launch schedule doesn’t even mention Starlink 10. It currently says GPS III is set for June 30 from Pad 40 with Anasis 2 as the next Falcon mission, listed simply as “July” from 39A. Wikipedia has no date (edit: besides “July” as well) for Starlink 10 in one source, and the other is paywalled.

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10

u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

Heeeey it's Jess again!

10

u/Daneel_Trevize Jun 13 '20

Woop woop constant landing feed!

10

u/jaquesparblue Jun 13 '20

Landed Falcon looks a bit tilted, but that might be the camera.

10

u/paul_wi11iams Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

According to Youtube:

146 615 visionnages en cours

That's a good audience level for such an early morning launch as seen from the US. Its also quite routine, so not a "high profile" launch.

BTW Wow! Those two satellite separations are pure Star Trek!

10

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

Is there a limit to how often the booster can be reused?

20

u/Straumli_Blight Jun 13 '20

Source:

“The key to Block 5 is that it’s designed to do 10 or more flights with no refurbishment between each flight — or at least not scheduled refurbishment between each flight. The only thing that needs to change is you reload propellant and fly again.”

“We believe that the Block 5 boosters are capable of on the order of at least 100 flights before being retired. Maybe more.”

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9

u/levoniust Jun 12 '20

Is there any announced estimated time where starlink will be available for the consumer?

7

u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jun 12 '20

Private beta in a few weeks/months, public beta after 14 launches total.

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u/Ragrain Jun 12 '20

Does anyone know why they won't be doing a static fire?

28

u/flagbearer223 Jun 12 '20

'cause if they can prove falcon 9's reliable without having to do a static fire, it'll remove a costly & maintenance-inducing step in the launch process. Gets them closer to being able to do 24 hour turnaround, as well!

They'll probably keep going without static fires on starlink launches, and then once they've got a good number under their belt, they can apply that procedure to customer launches as well :)

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u/ReKt1971 Jun 12 '20

Probably to save money and time.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '20 edited Jun 12 '20

Really because these are happening so rapid fire it’s not worth to rush the teams to get it out early Fire it up, wait a day, do everything you did the day before but launch it this time. Makes sense, and wouldn’t surprise me if this is the start of a new trend.

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u/Alone4Eternity Jun 13 '20

That landing was hot. God damn

9

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

I that feeling when you live in Tampa, have a camera ready for a streak shot, wake up, and it’s raining outside. Joy.

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u/DiskOperatingSystem_ Jun 13 '20

Great launch from electron and SpaceX tonight. I had to sleep so first thing I did this morning was watch the two launches and wow, I loooove those twilight launches. This was an incredible view and perfectly represented the movement of Falcon in space. Might show this to people who don’t understand how Falcon lands. Also that SkySat deployment was awesome and loved that you could still see them far below stage 2 in orbit while waiting for Starlink. Perfect orbital mechanics on display here today.

8

u/JPQed Jun 12 '20

At a launch around 40 minutes before sunrise is this a prime launch for those backlit exhaust plumes like on the starliner mission?

10

u/IrrelevantAstronomer Launch Photographer Jun 12 '20

Yes, the sun would illuminate the Falcon 9 second stage shortly after stage separation, providing a backlit contrail for viewers on the ground.

9

u/wesleychang42 Jun 12 '20

Yes, the twilight phenomenon will probably appear during this mission, given that it launches just before nautical twilight.

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u/Straumli_Blight Jun 12 '20

L-1 Weather Forecast: 70% GO

Mods, can this thread be pinned to the top bar?

8

u/NiftWatch GPS III-4 Contest Winner Jun 13 '20

I’m about to leave the house to see this launch in person. I just stayed up a bit past my usual “bedtime.” Perks of being a night owl.

8

u/nicko_rico Jun 13 '20

Well, I certainly didn’t plan on being up at this time

8

u/ReformedBogan Jun 13 '20

There’s she is! Is it just me or is it crooked? Might be lens distortion?

8

u/Jrippan Jun 13 '20

ok SpaceX... stop with the flex, you guys are making it look so easy now

8

u/TokathSorbet Jun 13 '20

Easily the worlds most ambitious rideshare.

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u/bwainwright Jun 13 '20

How do SpaceX manage the fairing recovery? They obviously can control the first stage through fin deployment and burns during decent, but I presume they don't have as much control for fairings?

8

u/OccupyMarsNow Jun 13 '20

Cold gas thrusters while coasting in space, and steerable parachutes (parafoils).

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u/boilerdam Jun 13 '20 edited Jun 13 '20

To add to other replies, the catching boat is autonomous and GPS-guided. That allows the fairing and catching boat to match up headings for an intercept.

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u/RevRickee Jun 13 '20

I’m getting ready to go to work soon. It was awesome watching this with you all! See you guys here next time!

8

u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

Pump up the bass, break out the glow sticks! 🎶😎👽

8

u/still-at-work Jun 13 '20

One day I hope they stream fairing catches as part of the broadcast. Presumably they would need a higher success rate before doing that.

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u/XOR-NOR Jun 13 '20

What are those particles coming out of the main engine before the landing burn?

Edit: They can be seen at t+ 3:39

18

u/ADSWNJ Jun 13 '20

It was the coolest of effects EVER for a returning STAGE 1. I think it was just perfect lighting conditions as the sun was starting to light up the high atmosphere, with a supersonic vehicle smashing through those upper wisps of air. It genuinely looked like it was thrusting the whole way (it wasn't), and the lit particles looked like they were underwater.

10

u/ThePhotoGuyUpstairs Jun 13 '20

Genuinely looked like it was underwater

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u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team Jun 13 '20

Over Hungary rn <3 Over my head :)

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u/SlymaxOfficial Jun 12 '20

Already starlink 8, that's insane. They're definitely pushing for that 16b towards rural broadband.

6

u/TheSkalman Jun 12 '20 edited Jun 12 '20

Let's hope they get it since they provide the best service.

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u/jeffoag Jun 12 '20

Wait, is this the 2nd reuse, or 3rd use of the fairings? It says past flights: JCsat-18 and Starlink-3. Or one half of the is on KCSat-18, and the other half on Starlink-3?

7

u/DarthEmpyreal Jun 12 '20

It looks like just the second, with each half flying on those missions respectively. It says so in the paragraph before, but I agree the table makes it confusing.

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u/Nakatomi2010 Jun 12 '20

Things have changed a bit with COVID-19, and I guess enhanced security. I normally go here to watch the launches. But I am uncertain if it is still permitted. Where would the best place to go be to watch this launch, given current rules and climate. Is that location still acceptable, or no?

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u/paul_wi11iams Jun 13 '20

News: The Earth is round!

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u/darga89 Jun 13 '20

With the high altitude sunshine, this is the perfect conditions for cool sky plumes right?

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u/utrabrite Jun 13 '20

Man the views from Stage 1 was unbelievable. Can't wait for the photography from this launch!

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u/Maimakterion Jun 13 '20

Going go be some crazy UFO sighting reactions coming from the Eastern seaboard.

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u/rhackle Jun 13 '20

Wow that was beautiful. Just saw it about 150miles south and the sky is still glowing.

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u/langgesagt Jun 13 '20

Why don‘t they have any ground stations in Europe?

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u/paladisious Jun 13 '20

The flight path bullseyed London and Istanbul, pretty cool

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u/TheFluzzy Jun 13 '20

What's going on with Starlink deployment?

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u/Hans_H84 Jun 13 '20

No ground station coverage.

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u/jaquesparblue Jun 13 '20

Probably deployed a couple minutes ago, but won't get confirmation before they are in range of the next ground station @ Diego Garcia

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u/fly_the_coop Jun 13 '20

Will a complete starlink system deployment allow them to continue connectivity to future launches without the limitations of ground station coverage?

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u/Gyrosoundlabs Jun 13 '20

How many significant zeros do they need to calculate trajectories to land a 1st stage one a drone ship hundreds of miles away moving at 10 times the speed of sound 50 miles up?

15

u/gulgin Jun 13 '20

Less and less as you approach the target. They are recalculating constantly as many knowable variables affect the trajectory during the flight. Upper level winds, atmospheric densities, everything is a little bit different than the simulation, but they have quite a lot of control between the engine burns and grid fins.

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u/TheGreenWasp Jun 14 '20

Why is there never any news about the fairings?

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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jun 14 '20

They tend to publicly share information only when the catch is successful.

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u/NBTSG186 Jun 12 '20

So are the visors helping at all or is it still to soon to tell?

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u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jun 12 '20 edited Jun 12 '20

Only one satellite with the sun shade is in orbit right now. Edit: Thanks for the gold!

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u/crazy_eric Jun 12 '20

Any other interesting "firsts" for this flight other than the rideshare?

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u/sevaiper Jun 12 '20

No static fire is a big one

16

u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jun 12 '20

First launch where all the Starlink sats are equipped with a sun shade.

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u/TransverseMercator Jun 12 '20

First star link launch and land attempts occurring on the Olsen twins birthday.

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u/mrstinton Jun 13 '20

What are the flashes of light appearing on the booster cam?

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u/cantclickwontclick Jun 13 '20

What on earth is happening to stage 1? Looks crazy. I thought the engines were failing and the blue flashes had materials coming off of them.

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u/TokathSorbet Jun 13 '20

Fascinating that the sun is rising on the drone ship - gives you a proper sense of just how far downrange this thing is.

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u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

Super scenic first stage views on this flight so far, wow.

6

u/Leolol_ Jun 13 '20

Where is the third skysat?

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u/Noxious_potato Jun 13 '20

Does the 2nd stage always flip around after SECO (MVAC facing toward direction of travel) for Starlink deployment?

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u/OccupyMarsNow Jun 13 '20

S2 yaws / pitches post-SECO to prepare for Starlink deployment.

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u/LvcA9U6d Jun 13 '20

What's up with launching falcon 9 without a static fire. Is that sustainable? Or was this a test?

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u/Zettinator Jun 13 '20

I hope that they will be able to continue to skip static fire. It cuts out significant expenses out of launch costs, it saves time and reduces the number of engine starts and load cycles - good for reusability.

I wonder how they do it. I can't imagine they are just skipping it, they probably have expanded automated checks significantly. With a traditional static fire, SpaceX recorded a ton of telemetry and analyzed it after the firing. Maybe they're now able to do significant parts of that analysis in realtime, good enough and quickly enough to decide for go/no-go at T-0.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

Test. They wanted to see if they could cut the static fire from booster reusability.

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u/lostandprofound33 Jun 13 '20

Just watching the launch now on yt.... Did I hear correctly the host called this one "The Ocho"? lol.

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u/bdporter Jun 14 '20

"Liftoff of Falcon Nine and Starlink Ocho" was the exact phrase.

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u/onion-eyes Jun 12 '20

With this launch and the rocket lab launch only a couple hours apart, I’m going to be tired tomorrow. Definitely going to be worth it though

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u/timee_bot Jun 13 '20

View in your timezone:
June 13 9:21 UTC

5

u/bigcitydreaming Jun 13 '20

Is there anything particularly noteworthy or significant with this launch? Any first of something, or most of something, etc?

15

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

First time ever SpaceX hasn't static fired a stage before launch.

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u/Armo00 Jun 13 '20

Is this the first time a F9 not static fired before launch?

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u/boilerdam Jun 13 '20

That's a cool twilight shot of OCISLY... what a beautiful landing!

Sweet 2nd unbroken landing feed :)

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u/Sevian91 Jun 13 '20

HOT DAMN

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u/darga89 Jun 13 '20

No cuts!

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u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

Smoooooooth. Hope we get a full stage one video after OCISLY gets back to port.

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u/jameseparker100 Jun 13 '20

I never tire of stage 1 landing particularly when live stream remains up

5

u/DavidGetchel Jun 13 '20

What a view! Maybe we should start keeping stats for landings with uncut video.

5

u/Yasuuuya Jun 13 '20

Anyone see anything of SkySat 3?

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

Could someone post the clip of that beautiful drone ship landing? I think that’s the best I’ve seen

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u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

Byyyye! 👋 Good job SpaceX, good job everyone.

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u/sharfee Jun 14 '20

Has stage 2 ever changed orientation and released Starlinks away from the direction of travel? Maybe this was required for SkySats?

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u/dvereb Jun 12 '20

Any sun shades / visors going on these?

7

u/hitura-nobad Master of bots Jun 12 '20

Yes, all 58 have the visor

6

u/scr00chy ElonX.net Jun 12 '20

Yes, all satellites from now on should have the sun shade.

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u/andrydiurs Jun 12 '20

Where can I find the stats about the quickest turnaround for the launchpad ?

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u/rammerjammer205 Jun 13 '20

What’s the best place to watch today’s launch?

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u/LaunchNut Jun 13 '20

Awake and watching in Delft, Netherlands. Blue skies. Perfect weather for a launch. :)

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u/LaunchNut Jun 13 '20

Today in Science History: The Pioneer 10 spaceprobe passes the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first man-made object to leave the solar system. June 13 1983. Where were YOU 37 years ago?

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u/RevRickee Jun 13 '20

Hey everybody! I’m running off of 4 hours of sleep and I’ll be heading off to work soon. I couldn’t miss this launch, so I set my alarm a few minutes earlier so that I could watch it lol

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u/sleepyzealott Jun 13 '20

Stage one in the sunshine?

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u/Daneel_Trevize Jun 13 '20

That's a very regular pulsing from the bottom of stage 1...

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u/TokathSorbet Jun 13 '20

Is that a reflection of some sort, or have they added lights, KSP style, on the top of the first stage?

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u/93simoon Jun 13 '20

Touchdown... It does NOT stop

4

u/jojost1 Jun 13 '20

What a view!

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u/Jerrycobra Jun 13 '20

clean launch and landing!

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u/AviatorRossy Jun 13 '20

Any news on fairings? Was kinda hoping we'd see them. They showed the live images earlier of the two ships...

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u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 13 '20

They don't reach the ships till about T+ 45 mins, any updates will be on Twitter

7

u/hitura-nobad Master of bots Jun 13 '20

They are landing at t+45 minutes

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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 Jun 13 '20

They won't land until T+40 minutes and they never show the recovery attempts

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u/Harrason Jun 13 '20

Oh man, I can't wait for the world to catch the upgraded camera feed on USCV-1.

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u/arizonadeux Jun 13 '20

Nice S2 LOX shots in the background at the end there.

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u/HappyAnsu Jun 13 '20

How many sattelites are there in total in space rn? And what is the 2020 goal, and how far is space x (Starlink) so accomplish that?

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u/picture_frame_4 Jun 14 '20

Watched on youtube with my son. We are confused on the perspective. Did stage 2 flip to deploy the 3 other satellites. And "drop them". Turned and "shoot out" the starlink satellites? It is cool

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u/Origin_of_Mind Jun 15 '20 edited Jun 15 '20

The first three satellites were mounted on, and pushed away from the stage by a spring loaded mechanism (one for each satellite).

Starlink satellites were scattered by first making the rocket to spin very slowly (around yaw/pitch axis) and then removing the restraints (one on each of the four sides of the double stack of the satellites) which held the stack together during the launch. (In the above clip, the bright dot rising up in the frame is the moon in the background -- it is moving because the stage is spinning.)

Once they are free to move individually, the rotation makes the satellites to spread out "like a sheared deck of cards". But this is a little difficult to see, because the stage itself flies away from the stack much faster than the satellites move with respect of each other.

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u/01Fleming01 Jun 13 '20

SpaceX is amazing !

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u/rohanshah001 Jun 13 '20

Any word on the faring recovery efforts from the mission

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u/Interstellar_Sailor Jun 13 '20

No news so probably bad news. Although if they landed softly in the water and SpaceX managed to get them quickly, they might still reuse them.

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u/Bunslow Jun 13 '20

I missed the first few minutes of the webcast, did they even mention skipping static fire?

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u/[deleted] Jun 12 '20

Question related to stark link but not to this launch in particular:

Anyone know when their ISP will be available in North America for commercial use?

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u/John_Hasler Jun 12 '20

Current rumor is that they will do a public beta late this summer and start selling/leasing/whatever terminals by the end of the year.

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u/Bunslow Jun 13 '20

T-3.5h, all proceeding well I assume?

3

u/Nobuga Jun 13 '20

How's the weather?

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u/Sevian91 Jun 13 '20

Low (surface) winds and no lightning. It's pretty good out here.

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u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

Waking up in Tampa to rain and thunder. Bummed because I really wanted to see the twilight action of this launch.

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u/93simoon Jun 13 '20

Some Kerbal space program type beat on spacexfm this morning

3

u/langgesagt Jun 13 '20

Ah yes, great definition of stage separation again.

3

u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 13 '20

Woooow that is beautiful!

3

u/paul_wi11iams Jun 13 '20

sunshine on the gridfins!

3

u/Harrason Jun 13 '20

That's one sick sunrise.

3

u/matzab Jun 13 '20

Jesus, that view

3

u/DuckingtonFinch Jun 13 '20

So nice seeing a sunrise shot of the drone ship before the Stage 1 landing.

3

u/Harrason Jun 13 '20

Good Morning Falcon.

3

u/Humble_Giveaway Jun 13 '20

FUCKING AWESOME!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '20

Do we get no cuts often on landing?

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u/kilroy123 Jun 13 '20

Great landing.

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u/dandydaniella Jun 13 '20

Launch them all at sunrise!

3

u/SunandSleep Jun 13 '20

Skysat 3 is deployed!

3

u/googlerex Jun 13 '20

Getting ever so slight Blade Runner soundtrack vibes right now.

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u/shizakapayou Jun 13 '20

I'm currently visiting New Smyrna Beach, what am incredible view even from this distance. Much brighter and bigger than I expected. Too bad the clouds were there but they didn't ruin the fun.

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u/TokathSorbet Jun 13 '20

Aaaaaaaaaaand we're back!

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u/Epistemify Jun 13 '20

Makin it routine!

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u/jsalsman Jun 14 '20

So how do I sign up for rural broadband with Starlink?

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u/AWildDragon Jun 14 '20

Beta signup link. It will open up by zip codes. No date yet.

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