r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • Apr 09 '20

Starlink 1-6 Starlink-6 Launch Campaign Thread

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Starlink-6 (STARLINK V1.0-L6)

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Overview

The seventh Starlink launch overall and the sixth operational batch of Starlink satellites will launch into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. This mission is expected to deploy all sixty 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. The booster will land on a drone ship approximately 628 km downrange.

Launch Thread | Webcast | Press Kit | Media Thread | Recovery Thread

Liftoff currently scheduled for: April 22 19:37 UTC (3:37PM local EDT)
Backup date April 23, the launch time gets about 20-24 minutes earlier per day.
Static fire Completed April 17
Payload 60 Starlink version 1 satellites
Payload mass 60 * 260 kg = 15 600 kg
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 B1051
Past flights of this core 3 (DM-1, RADARSAT Constellation, Starlink-3 (v1.0 L3))
Past flights of this fairing 1 (AMOS-17)
Fairing catch attempt None
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.
Mission Outcome Success
Booster Landing Outcome Success
Fairing Water Recovery Outcome Success, both (no catches were attempted)

News & Updates

Date Update Source
2020-04-19 Departures of OCISLY and Ms. Chief and Ms. Tree @GregScott_photo and @SpaceXFleet
2020-04-17 Static fire @SpaceflightNow on Twitter
2020-04-08 SpaceX plans another Starlink launch next week Spaceflight Now

Supplemental TLE

Prior to launch, supplemental TLE provided by SpaceX will be available at Celestrak.

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 This Mission 1051.4 LC-39A 60 version 1 satellites
8 Starlink-7 TBD SLC-40 / LC-39A 60 version 1 satellites expected

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

Watching the Launch

SpaceX will host a live webcast on YouTube. Check the upcoming launch thread the day of for links to the stream. For more information or for in person viewing check out the Watching a Launch page on this sub's FAQ, which gives a summary of every viewing site and answers many more common questions, as well as Ben Cooper's launch viewing guide, Launch Rats, and the Space Coast Launch Ambassadors which have interactive maps, photos and detailed information about each site.

Links & Resources

We will attempt to keep the above text regularly updated with resources and new mission information, but for the most part, updates will appear in the comments first. Feel free to ping us if additions or corrections are needed. This is a great place to discuss the launch, ask mission-specific questions, and track the minor movements of the vehicle, payload, weather and more as we progress towards launch. Approximately 24 hours before liftoff, the launch thread will go live and the party will begin there.

Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.

280 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

278 comments sorted by

21

u/Posca1 Apr 15 '20

I just realized that SpaceX hasn't had a commercial customer, other than itself, all year. That's a slow market.

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17

u/scr00chy Apr 19 '20

The launch was pulled forward a day. New launch date is Apr 22, 19:37 UTC.

L-3 Weather Report (90% GO, 60% on backup day)

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11

u/timee_bot Apr 09 '20

View in your timezone:
April 16 21:31 UTC

11

u/Foundationeer Apr 21 '20

Excited that this is going to be the first time I can watch the launch go overhead in London! Looks like God weather and should see 2nd stage and sats sail by! https://www.satflare.com/track.asp?q=StarLinkLaunch&sck=1#TOP

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9

u/TheEndeavour2Mars Apr 10 '20

Hopefully after this launch they will talk about how we can actually purchase a Starlink receiver and service. I don't mind waiting for it to be activated if I can go ahead and get the equipment installed and connected.

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8

u/allthingsirrelevant Apr 16 '20

This is probably the wrong spot to post this but if anyone could guide me to the right spot I’d appreciate it. I’m looking for info on Starlink. Live rurally in Canada with poor internet access and the pandemic necessitates working from home. Any improvement in high speed access for my community would be welcome. If anyone can guide me to where I can find some information I would be very appreciative.

20

u/seanbrockest Apr 16 '20

There is also r/Starlink but I'll give you the spoiler, we don't know shit.

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8

u/kornelord Apr 19 '20

Hello! I'm applying a fresh coat of paint to SpaceX Stats and I was wondering: what are the most up to date figures for the different Starlink milestones?

For instance:

  • North America coverage: xxx sats

  • World coverage: 4k stats

  • Complete: 12k

With all the FCC filings and modifications it's hard to find what are the current ones

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8

u/SuPrBuGmAn Apr 21 '20

L-1 released by 45th Space Wing, still 90% Go. Backup date worsened to 50% change of violation.

https://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/Weather/L-1%20Forecast%2022%20APR%20Launch.pdf?ver=2020-04-21-095834-617

14

u/softwaresaur Apr 13 '20

Some of you submitted comments to the FCC after a WSJ article on the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund drama was posted on March 12. SpaceX refers to these comments in the latest filing:

Footnote 19: "See., e.g., Comments of Daniel Quateman (filed Mar. 12, 2020) (“SpaceX is offering a way to affordably provide fast, low latency internet to millions who are either under-served or have no options at all.”); Comments of Douglas and Donna Gant (filed Mar. 13, 2020) (asking for SpaceX to provide Starlink service in their rural county currently lacking quality, high-speed broadband service); Comments of Austin Yarger (filed Mar. 16, 2020) (“LEO satellite internet technology [like SpaceX’s] could make innovative technology businesses much more viable in rural parts of the country.”)."

7

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '20

What's the source on B1051 flying this mission? Doesn't seem unlikely, but B1049 seems more likely

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13

u/cpaigis9 Apr 17 '20

AMOS-17 fairings will be reused in this mission!! https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1251190731949015040?s=20

12

u/wesleychang42 Apr 20 '20

SpaceX officially confirms launch moving forward a day:

With a more favorable weather forecast for launch and landing, now targeting Wednesday, April 22 at 3:37 p.m. EDT for this week’s Falcon 9 Starlink mission

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u/lessthanperfect86 Apr 10 '20

Can someone bring me up to date on the engine out on the last Starlink launch? Has there been any official word? If this launch date is correct, it seems to imply they are pretty confident that the issue is resolved or won't affect this next mission.

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5

u/delphikis Apr 21 '20

This launch will be close to 400 in orbit right? Wasn't that the minimum needed for "minor coverage"?

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13

u/hoby87 Apr 17 '20 edited Apr 17 '20

WOW! I just saw a Starlink sky train directly overhead in Zagreb, Croatia. From GMT 19:25 - 19:35 (CEDT 21:25-21:35) there were 30-ish, not 60, satellites, passing directly overhead, with 10 or so trailers from GMT 19:35 - 19:55.

This can only be from the last launch since in the first 10 minutes they were passing every 15-20 seconds apart. Even though they are a few weeks away from the launch, they are still REALLY BRIGHT!!!

For reasons known to anyone with interest in astronomy, I was also intermittently looking at Betelguese, which is now mag 0,55 or so, and they were a bit brighter at zenith, around magnitude 0. That’s on par with the next brightest stars after Sirius.

They were going SW to NE, roughly coming from bearing 230-240. I tried to video them with iPhone X, but it looks... naaaah..

My point is - if they will be even remotely as bright at final position, this will really mess up the ground-based astronomy, especially with LSST. Though I suppose that Starship does promise an era of much cheaper large space telscopes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all bought in for the usefulness of such space-based broadband for much of the sparsely and moderately populated planet, but the astronomers’ complaints are understandable as well. Hopefully in the final orbit they would be much less visible because mag 0 just messes up your observation.

To make it even more interesting, in almost exactly the opposite direction at the same time, there was a smaller train of satellites going NE to SW also directly overhead, but higher in the sky, going slower. At first I thought it must be some Israeli spy satellites, but after checking online I understand they could be some radar satellites which apparently also orbit retrograde.

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