{"id":11763,"date":"2021-04-07T19:27:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T11:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-its-100th-mission-from-floridas-space-coast\/"},"modified":"2021-04-07T19:27:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T11:27:13","slug":"spacex-launches-its-100th-mission-from-floridas-space-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-its-100th-mission-from-floridas-space-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches its 100th mission from Florida\u2019s Space Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_51003\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51003\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51003\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/l23_pic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/l23_pic.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/l23_pic-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/l23_pic-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/l23_pic-678x452.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51003\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at 12:34 p.m. EDT (1634 GMT) Wednesday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Wednesday with another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites, achieving success on SpaceX\u2019s 100th mission to launch from Florida\u2019s Space Coast and clearing the way for liftoff of a NASA crew mission to the International Space Station later this month.<\/p>\n<p>The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 launcher lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:34:18 p.m. EDT (1634:18 GMT) Wednesday and headed northeast over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the 60 Starlink satellites into orbit.<\/p>\n<p>The mission Wednesday was the first daytime rocket launch from Florida\u2019s Space Coast since Jan. 24, ended a string of late night and predawn blastoffs in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>After breaking the sound barrier and rocketing through the stratosphere, the Falcon 9 shut down its nine kerosene-fueled first stage engines about two-and-a-half minutes into the mission. Moments later, the first stage detached from the Falcon 9\u2019s second stage, which ignited a single Merlin powerplant to continue climbing into space.<\/p>\n<p>The first stage, meanwhile, arced downrange on a ballistic trajectory before re-entering the atmosphere and descending to a pinpoint landing on SpaceX\u2019s drone ship named \u201cOf Course I Still Love You\u201d floating in the Atlantic about 400 miles (630 kilometers) northeast of Cape Canaveral.<\/p>\n<p>The touchdown marked the end of the booster\u2019s seventh trip to space and back since this first stage \u2014 tail number B1058 \u2014 debuted with a mission last May that carried NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken into orbit on the first piloted test flight of SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1379843723517902848&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2021%2F04%2F07%2Fspacex-launches-its-100th-mission-from-floridas-space-coast%2F&amp;sessionId=a3978fb3da974c271903ae8a9e3eb86090c68a46&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1379843723517902848\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782469029739296087=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Miss today\u2019s launch? Here\u2019s a replay of the Falcon 9 rocket firing off pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:34pm EDT (1634 GMT).<\/p>\n<p>It was the first day launch from Florida since Jan. 24, ending a streak of late night &amp; early morning liftoffs.https:\/\/t.co\/dttt9ugvon pic.twitter.com\/Ricgmd2ZwS<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) April 7, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Falcon 9\u2019s nose cone, which jettisoned soon after ignition of the second stage engine, was also reused from previous missions. The nose fairing\u2019s two halves were expected to descend to a gentle splashdown in the Atlantic using parachutes, and a recovery boat was on station in the area to retrieve the two shells.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX has attempted to catch the fairing halves using giant nets affixed to two recovery boats, but that technique proved difficult and unnecessary. Elon Musk, SpaceX\u2019s founder and CEO, said this week that the company will fish the fairing halves out of the sea going forward.<\/p>\n<p>The boats with the fairing recovery nets \u2014 named Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief \u2014 only managed to catch descending payload shrouds a few times. The nets were designed to prevent damage to the fairing shells from salt water, but SpaceX has managed to recover, refurbish, and reuse the fairing halves after they splashed down in the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Crews have removed the nets and other fairing recovery equipment from the Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief vessels at Port Canaveral, and one of the boats has already left Florida.<\/p>\n<p>While recovery teams in the Atlantic worked to secure the booster and payload fairing, the Falcon 9\u2019s second stage \u2014 the only significant part of the rocket not reusable \u2014 completed two engine firings to place the 60 Starlink satellites into the proper orbit for deployment.<\/p>\n<p>The 60 flat-panel satellites released from the second stage at 1:38 p.m. EDT (1738 GMT), about 64 minutes into the mission, while they flew at an altitude of 184 miles (297 kilometers) near New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>The Starlink spacecraft will next use their on-board electric thrusters to reach an operating altitude of 341 miles (550 kilometers) to join more than 1,300 other Starlink satellites providing consumer internet service.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1379853288045174791&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2021%2F04%2F07%2Fspacex-launches-its-100th-mission-from-floridas-space-coast%2F&amp;sessionId=a3978fb3da974c271903ae8a9e3eb86090c68a46&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1379853288045174791\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782469029739296087=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Here\u2019s a view of the 60 Starlink internet satellites flying free of the Falcon 9 rocket to conclude today\u2019s successful mission. https:\/\/t.co\/dttt9ugvon pic.twitter.com\/3juD4APR3G<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) April 7, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Wednesday\u2019s launch was SpaceX\u2019s 10th Falcon 9 mission so far in 2021, a record pace for SpaceX to start a year. It was the 116th flight of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy rocket since 2010, and the 100th to take off from a launch pad in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>With this mission, SpaceX has deployed 1,445 Starlink satellites on 26 launches, including prototypes and failed spacecraft. The active fleet of Starlink spacecraft reached roughly 1,380 satellites with the fresh data relay stations that launched Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s more than six times as many active satellites as owned by any other single operator.<\/p>\n<p>The Starlink fleet will have the capacity to deliver uninterrupted internet service to consumers with a few more launches, according to Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX\u2019s president and chief operating officer.<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Communications Commission has authorized SpaceX to deploy some 12,000 Starlink satellites operating at Ku-band, Ka-band, and V-band frequencies, and at a range of altitudes and inclinations in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX has been testing the Starlink network\u2019s speed and latency since last year through a beta testing program. Customers in the northern United States, Canada, parts of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are already participating in the beta testing.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on a virtual panel arranged as part of the Satellite 2021 industry conference, Shotwell said Tuesday that SpaceX is focusing hitting \u201cperformance marks\u201d before transitioning the Starlink network into full-scale commercial service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still have a lot of work to do to make the network reliable,\u201d Shotwell said. \u201cWe still have drops, not necessarily just because of where the satellites are in the sky. So we\u2019ll move off of beta when we have a really great product that we are very proud of.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost of the folks that have signed up on the beta program \u2026 either were completely disconnected and desperate and just loving the fact that they can do anything online, or they\u2019re pretty tech savvy folks who are testing the network, giving us feedback,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I think the beta phase is very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX is accepting pre-orders from would-be Starlink consumers, who can pay $99 to reserve their place in line to get Starlink service when it becomes available in their area. For people in the southern United States and other lower-latitude regions, that should come later this year, SpaceX says.<\/p>\n<p>Once confirmed, customers will pay $499 for a Starlink antenna and modem, plus $50 in shipping and handling, SpaceX says. A subscription will run $99 per month.<\/p>\n<p>While SpaceX has hinted that the Starlink network might one day number as many as 42,000 satellites, Shotwell said the actual number of Starlink spacecraft in orbit at any given time will hinge on market demand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe plan is to operate a network that is very reliable, low latency, and accessible to everybody, literally, on the planet,\u201d she said Tuesday. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll add satellites to add capacity. Once we have the network, the mesh network, then basically every new launch just adds capacity, so we\u2019ll be able to monitor how things are going and how is our service, and if it\u2019s good and people like it, then we\u2019ll continue to add satellites as we\u2019re allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Future Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California will deploy Starlink satellites into polar orbits to expand the reach of the network and enable internet service in the Arctic and Antarctica, a capability desired by the U.S. military, one of the Starlink program\u2019s most lucrative markets.<\/p>\n<p>Read our earlier story for details on Starlink launches from Vandenberg.<\/p>\n<p>Shotwell predicted Tuesday that the Starlink network will be able to serve \u201cevery rural household in the United States\u201d in three-to-five years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re doing those analyses for other countries as well,\u201d she said. \u201cOur focus initially is the U.S. because they speak English, and they\u2019re close, and if they have a problem with their dish, we can get one shipped out quickly. But we definitely want to expand this capability beyond the U.S. and Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One big challenge is reducing the cost of building antennas for consumers to receive internet signals from Starlink satellites. The terminals can automatically switch from satellite-to-satellite as the Starlink spacecraft fly overhead.<\/p>\n<p>Shotwell said SpaceX is currently building Starlink user terminals for less than $1,500, down from an earlier cost of $3,000 per unit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not charging our customers what it costs us to build those terminals right now,\u201d Shotwell said. \u201cBut we do see our terminals coming in the few hundred dollar range within the next year or two.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Crew mission next on SpaceX\u2019s launch schedule<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>With Wednesday\u2019s Starlink launch in the books, SpaceX\u2019s next Falcon 9 mission will carry the next crew of four astronauts into orbit on the way to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX teams in Florida are readying a previously-flown Falcon 9 booster and a reused Crew Dragon capsule for the mission, which is set for liftoff April 22 at 6:11 a.m. EDT (1011 GMT) from pad 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>NASA commander Shane Kimbrough, pilot Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet will ride the Crew Dragon \u201cEndeavour\u201d spacecraft to the space station, kicking off an expedition scheduled to last about six months.<\/p>\n<p>Their mission, known as Crew-2, is the second operational Crew Dragon mission for NASA under a multibillion-dollar contact between the space agency and SpaceX. Assuming a launch April 22, the Crew-2 astronauts are scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on April 23.<\/p>\n<p>Kimbrough and his crewmates will replace the Crew-1 mission, which launched Nov. 15 from the Kennedy Space Center on SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon \u201cResilience\u201d capsule. The Crew-1 astronauts are scheduled to depart the space station and splash down off the coast of Florida on April 28.<\/p>\n<p>The crew launch later this month will be the first Falcon 9 flight since January not dedicated to hauling up Starlink internet satellites. The last seven Falcon 9 launches have each delivered 60 Starlink spacecraft into orbit.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at 12:34 p.m. EDT (1634 GMT) Wednesday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Credit: SpaceX A Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral Wednesday with another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites, achieving success on SpaceX\u2019s 100th mission to launch from Florida\u2019s Space Coast and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1486,252,1736,1573,479,25,311,316],"class_list":["post-11763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-b1058","tag-broadband","tag-complex-40","tag-drone-ship","tag-falcon-9","tag-launch","tag-reusability","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11763"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11763\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}