For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM
SPACE VIEW PARK/TITUSVILLE, FL – SpaceX successfully launched its fleet leading Falcon 9 for a record breaking 15th time Saturday afternoon, Dec. 17, carrying the next tranche of Starlink broadband internet satellites to orbit from Florida’s Space Coast into heavily overcast Sunshine State skies
The heavy payload of 54 Starlink satellites on the 4-37 mission blasted off on the 15x recycled Falcon 9 booster tail number B1058 – which also nailed its 15th landing on a droneship at sea eight minutes later.
This booster B1058 began its life gloriously as it was used for the 30 May 2020 launch of the NASA SpaceX DEMO-2 Crew Dragon mission with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station (ISS)!
The Demo-2 flight with Bob and Doug atop B1058 marked the resumption of American human spaceflight missions on American rockets from American soil for the first time in 9 years since the foolish and forced shutdown of NASA’s Space Shuttle program by American politicians.
Its future is TBD as SpaceX has certified the Falcon 9s for 15 flights to space and back.
The Starlink satellites will benefit everyday users on land, at sea and in airplanes, as well as play a significant role in the Ukrainian military fight against the barbaric Russian invasion and unprovoked aggression started in February this year.
Liftoff of the veteran Falcon 9 booster B1058.15 on the Starlink 4-37 mission carrying 54 more Starlinks to orbit took place under significantly overcast cloud cover at 4:32 p.m. EDT (2132 GMT) Saturday, Dec. 17, from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during an instantaneous launch window.
This marked the 3rd Falcon 9 liftoff in less than 36 hours and was quickly trumpeted by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
“Congrats to SpaceX Team on 3 perfect orbital launches within 36 hours!!!”
Congrats to SpaceX Team on 3 perfect orbital launches within 36 hours!!!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2022
Starlink 4-37 followed closely on the heels for NASA’s SWOT mission launched from Vandenberg and the SES O3b mPower launched from Cape pad 40
It also counts as the 66th launch primarily dedicated to the Starlink constellation.
The 229-foot-tall (69-meter) Falcon 9 lifted off flawlessly with ignition of all 9 Merlin 1D engines performing perfectly and generating 1.7 million pounds of liftoff thrust soaring aloft on a northeasterly trajectory tracking along the US East Coast.
The rocket disappeared quickly into thick low clouds and skywards towards the obscured sun and rumbled very loudly
Following stage separation and payload fairing jettison The Starlink satellites were deployed as planned approx. 15 minutes after liftoff.
Deployment of 54 Starlink satellites confirmed
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 17, 2022
Eight minutes later the 1st stage B1058 touched down safely upright on the “Just Read the Instructions” (JRTI) drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, completing the 15th launch and landing of this booster! pic.twitter.com/0AXCXTSPRb
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 17, 2022
In addition to the NASA SpaceX Demo-2 crew mission with Hurley ad Behnken, B1058 has also previously used on ANASIS-II, CRS-21 cargo resupply tithe ISS, Transporter-1, Transporter-3, and now ten Starlink missions.
Due to heavy cloud cover the fabulous Falcon 9 launch was completely obscured in less than 30 minutes.
It punched through the clouds overhead – never to be seen again.
Starlink provides high speed, low latency broadband internet connectivity now on a global basis to all 7 continents.
SpaceX states that they now have reached a major milestone with over 1 million customers.
The cost is approx. $100 per month with a hardware charge of $599.
Starlink now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers – thank you to all customers and members of the Starlink team who contributed to this milestone ❤️💫🌎 https://t.co/5suNxFvtEH pic.twitter.com/E1ojYarcEA
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 19, 2022
SpaceX manufactures the Starlinks in-house in Redmond, Washington.
The flat-paneled, solar powered refrigerator-sized satellites were deployed into an elliptical orbit at an inclination of 53.2 degrees to the equator.
The Starlink satellites will use on-board krypton ion propulsion to raise themselves to their final operating circular orbit some 335 miles (540 kilometers) above Earth.
To date SpaceX has launched 3612 Starlink satellites including prototype and test versions and failed ones, according to a tabulation from astronomer Jonathan McDowell, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Currently SpaceX has more than 3,284 functioning Starlink satellites in space, with about 3,019 operational.
SpaceX has FAA approval to deploy 7,000 Starlinks and eventually hope to deploy well over 30,000
However the impact on Earth-based astronomy and science could be quite negative
Following a string of commercial, government and science missions this was the 1st Starlink launch from the Cape since Oct. 20, on the 4-36 mission.
This launch marked the 59th by SpaceX in 2022 – nearly at their goal of 60+.
Up to two more Falcon 9 launches are planned by years end.
Watch Ken’s commentary about Project Artemis, SpaceX Falcon Heavy, Crew-5, NASA SLS cryo and WDR tests, NASA SpaceX Crew & Cargo Dragons and more
Dec 11/12: BBC World News TV interview about successful splashdown of NASA Orion concluding the 25 day Artemis 1 lunar test flight around the Moon and back, and how that sets up a human return to the Moon on Artemis 2 and landing on Artemis 3. Plus what’s beyond for NASA deep space exploration to Mars and the search for life beyond Earth
Nov 22: WFTV ABC News Orlando interview about upcoming NASA SpaceX CRS 26 cargo resupply mission to the ISS and science aboard + Artemis 1 launch and Orion crew capsule successfully entering lunar orbit, results and mission goals
Nov 22: Fox 35 interview about upcoming NASA SpaceX CRS 26 cargo resupply mission to the ISS and science aboard + Artemis 1 launch and Orion crew capsule successfully entering lunar orbit, results and mission goals
Nov 21/22: BBC World TV interview about Orion crew capsule successfully entering lunar orbit, results and mission goals
Watch Ken’s continuing reports about Artemis, SpaceX missions, SLS, Orion and NASA missions, SpaceX Crew and Cargo Dragons, SpaceX Axiom, JWST, DART, Lucy Asteroid mission, GOES, SpaceX Starlink, Commercial Crew and Starliner and Crew Dragon, Blue Origin and Space Tourism, and onsite for live reporting of upcoming and recent SpaceX and ULA launches including Crew 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5, ISS, Solar Orbiter, Mars 2020 Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, NRO spysats and national security missions and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Upcoming and recent space events and talks by Ken Kremer & Jean Wright
Nov 29 at UCF, Orlando Florida: Presentation by Jean Wright – “Sew Sister to the Stars- How the Humble Art of Sewing Transformed the World of Flight”
Upcoming and recent space events and talks by Ken Kremer & Jean Wright
Dec 7/10/15 and Nov 25/29 from 7 to 9 PM Quality Inn, Titusville, FL: Join Ken and Jean for Artemis 1, Falcon Heavy and space mission and rocket launch outreach. Ask us anything. plus display our photos and space apparel items for sale
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