SpaceX is getting ready to launch its newest batch of 21 Starlink satellites on a Thursday evening Falcon 9 launch from California.
The Falcon 9 rocket launch will set a brand new report for Vandenberg Area Power Base, marking the primary time that 31 orbital missions have taken off in a calendar 12 months. Thirty of these launches had been from SpaceX and one was from Firefly Aerospace.
Liftoff of the Starlink 9-6 mission from Area Launch Advanced 4 East (SLC-4E) is ready for six:45 p.m. PDT (9:45 p.m. EDT, 0145 UTC).
Spaceflight Now can have reside protection starting about half-hour previous to liftoff.
The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail quantity B1071 within the SpaceX fleet, will probably be launching for an 18th time. It beforehand flew three missions for the Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace (NROL-87, NROL-85 and NROL-146), two rideshare missions (Transporter-8 and Transporter-9) and ten Starlink missions.
A bit greater than eight minutes after liftoff, B1071 will land on the SpaceX droneship ‘Of Course I Nonetheless Love You.’ If profitable, this would be the a hundred and first touchdown on OCISLY and the 348th booster touchdown up to now.
Among the many 21 Starlink satellites are 13 that embody Direct to Cell capabilities. With this launch, SpaceX can have a complete of 207 of those satellites able to offering indicators to common cellphones. Based on skilled orbital tracker and astronomer Jonathan McDowell, there are at the moment greater than 6,400 Starlink satellites on orbit.
Dragon demo
Some hours after the launch from California, 4 astronauts orbiting in low Earth orbit will conduct a singular demonstration of the know-how. The Starlink demonstration comes on flight day 4 for the Polaris Daybreak mission.
A Starlink WiFi router is situated inside the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft, which is linked to to a laser system embedded inside the trunk of the Dragon referred to as the “Plug and Plaser.”
“You would possibly assume getting web is likely to be as straightforward as flipping that change and turning in your web, nevertheless it’s not. We’re speaking a few laser sending info to a Starlink satellite tv for pc that’s shifting at orbital velocity, right down to Earth after which again once more,” stated Sarah Gillis, a Polaris Daybreak mission specialist and SpaceX engineer. “It’s been an unbelievable growth effort by the SpaceX crew and on a private notice, I’ve taken particular curiosity on this growth effort and we’ve got a particular message that we are going to share with the world, utilizing this know-how.”
Good day Earth –
We’re so grateful for all of the assist! Please take pleasure in two latest photographs from our mission and keep tuned for our subsequent message 🎶
Despatched to you from house over a beam of Starlink laser gentle 🛰️ – Crew of Polaris Daybreak pic.twitter.com/KkeZw1yAoT
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024
In a precursor to the formal demonstration, the Polaris Program shared a publish on X, previously Twitter, wherein it stated that the 2 embedded photos of the crew and the Earth had been despatched through Starlink.
A part of the aim Polaris Program is supporting St. Jude Kids Analysis Hospital and to take action, they’re additionally bringing Starlink web service to a few of their areas around the globe. They introduced Starlink terminals to colleges and hospitals in creating nations to bolster their connectivity.
