The first brother of Space Express returned to the Starlink mission today, equaling the record of a month ago, once again setting a record of 12 arrows and 12 flights, once again releasing the maximum capacity of Falcon 9 of 16.25 tons, and the total launch volume of Starlink satellites was as high as 2388.
Launch at a glance
Launch process
▲Image of the Launch Process of Starlink Group 4-14
A launch process that can be copied efficiently is a real effort. With a gap of just one month, the March 19 Starlink G 4-12 mission is similar to the April 21 Starlink G 4-14 mission, and it is highly overlapping. The same launch pad (SLC-40), the same launch mission, the same flight path, the same satellite (53 V1.5), the same maritime recovery platform (JRTI), and even the use of twelve-hand rockets, perfectly interpret the full flying map of the highest multiplexed rocket.
Due to high winds at the Cape Florida launch site, the launch was delayed by 157 minutes. From 11:14 a.m. eastern time on April 21, it was extended to 13:51 EST on the same day (1:51 Beijing time on April 22, with a time difference of 12 hours).
Located at SLC-40 at The Space Force Base in Cape Florida, the Star Class rocket number B1060.12 ushered in the 12th Eagle Strike Long Sky, and began to fly northeast along the Florida coast ten seconds after takeoff. Almost the same as the launch of Starlink Group 4-12 on March 19, the flight trajectory, number of satellites, orbital altitude, equatorial inclination are all the same.
After 1 minute and 12 seconds of liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket passed through the maximum resistance point of the air (Max Q). At this time, it flies at an altitude of 12 km and a speed of 0.4 km/s. T+2 minutes and 30 seconds, the first stage rocket 9 Merlin engines shut down. After 5 seconds, the first and second stages separated, and the first stage rocket began to enter automatic re-entry mode. At 2 minutes and 42 seconds after liftoff, the second stage rocket ignited and advanced for the first time, followed by the release of the fairing.
After two ignition reversals, the first 20 seconds and the second 22 seconds. When launched at 8 minutes and 23 seconds, that is, T+8 minutes and 23 seconds, the world's second highest multiplexed first-stage rocket B1060.12 achieved its 12th successful recovery, landing vertically on the Instruction Manual (JRTI) offshore platform, about 629 kilometers from cape 40, Florida.
This successful settlement is the 115th recovery of SpaceX's first stage rocket, the 88th sea recovery rocket, and the 29th recovery rocket of JRTI [please see the manual].
This is the interval of 33 days SpaceX once again set an arrow 12 fly 12 recovery record, two first-stage rockets B1051.12, B1060.12 both achieved multiplexed to the top. Once again, only records that can be copied efficiently are true skills.
This launch is the fourth orbital layer 14th batch of Starlink Group 4-14, the same as the previous five deployments of G4-8 to G4-12, all using a 1-hour normal deployment mode, switching from 15 minutes of rapid deployment to 1 hour of normal deployment mode, the initial orbit of more than 300 km, perigee 304 km x apogee of 317 km. The aim is to send the satellites into higher orbits and minimize the risk of encountering greater drag in lower orbits by avoiding magnetic storms for the G4-7 mission deployed on February 3 this year.
Nearly 1 hour after launch (T+59 minutes and 49 seconds), the stars and arrows separated and began to deploy 53 version 1.5 starlink satellites, with an orbit of 304 km x 317 km and an equatorial inclination of 53.22 °. Target orbit: 540 km x equatorial inclination 53.22°. This is SpaceX's Group 4-14 mission to deploy the fourth orbital layer of the Starlink constellation, and the 13th batch of the 1.5 version satellite Starlink v1.5 L13 mission. With a total payload mass of 16.25 tons (including propellant, satellite mounts, etc.), 53 aircraft were deployed at a time, which was also the maximum capacity of 16.25 tons (V1.5×53) of Falcon 9 released by SpaceX again, and the maximum capacity of F9 was 15.6 tons (V1.0×60).
Each version 1.5 Starlink satellite is about the size of a desk and weighs about 295 kilograms, which is slightly heavier than the previous version 1.0 260 kilograms. After unfolding the single-wing solar array, the inexpensive kryptonian ion thruster gradually climbed, and after being tested and checked by the SpaceX satellite operation and maintenance team, it continued to climb slowly to the final orbit of 540 kilometers, a process that took about several weeks.
Copy one arrow 12 fly 12 recovery
The launch set a new record of "one arrow 12 fly 12 recovery", allowing B1060.12 to equal B 1951.12 and rank among the highest reusable recovery rockets. SpaceX is advancing rocket multiplexing frequencies at speeds that other launchers can't match, so that musk's promise of "one arrow and ten flights" 5 years ago is no longer a crazy talk, but let us witness the miracle of multiplexing rockets all the way! The first-stage rocket number B1060.12 can be described as a star rocket, with outstanding achievements and outstanding achievements - it has launched GPS III SV03, Starlink-11, Starlink-14, Turksat, Starlink-18, Starlink-22, Starlink-24, Transporter-2, Starlink Group 4-3, and Starlink Group 4-6, Starlink Group 4-9, Starlink Group 4-14 missions. That is, 1 launch of the third generation of GPS, 1 international commercial launch, 1 transporter ride-sharing mission, 9 times to deploy their own Starlink. From the fourth flight to the fifth flight, the B1060 multiplexing interval was only 27 days, 4 hours and 4 minutes, setting a record for the shortest launch interval of the Falcon 9 first stage rocket.
The specific flight/recovery data are as follows
There is no upper limit on the path of reuse
On December 22, 2015, SpaceX's world-first orbital launch successfully recovered the first stage rocket, on March 30, 2017, it created a new initiative to reuse a first-stage rocket to achieve an orbital-stage launch; on May 11, 2018, it first launched the Falcon 9 B5 rocket. On December 3 of the same year, it achieved one arrow, three flights and three recoveries; on November 11, 2019, it achieved one arrow, four flights and four recoveries; on November 25, 2020, it achieved one arrow, seven flights and seven recoveries; on April 23, 2021, it first used a reusable rocket to perform the manned space mission Crew-2; on May 9, 2021, it set a new record for the first time in the recovery of one arrow, ten flights and ten; and at the end of 2021, it set a new record of one arrow 11 flying 11 recovery On March 19, 2022, a new record of one-arrow 12 fly 12 recovery was created in historic history, and the highest record of one arrow 12 flying 12 recovery was reproduced on April 21, 2022... More than that, Musk has stated that ten shots is not the upper limit, let alone the limit number. The rocket will fly as long as conditions permit until it is scrapped.
The first-stage rocket recovery and reuse model pioneered by SpaceX has been despised by the industry from the beginning to now being imitated, and in a few years, it has completely rewritten the global space launch market pattern and technological development trend. And other launchers: whether it is the national team or the veteran team, it will take at least 5 to 10 years to initially master the recovery/reuse rocket technology.
At that time, the space brother who is far ahead of the way is not only a "price butcher" in the earth circle, but also a "worldly high man" who is high in the deep space boundary, fully controlling the new generation of space transport system starships, mastering the first and second level fully multiplexing technology, weaving a point-to-point global one-hour transportation network on the earth; building a busy manned lunar flight between the earth and the moon; creating a regular Mars transportation line between the earth and fire... All this is no longer a daydream, no longer a dream of Musk alone, but the reality of human beings stepping out of the cradle of the mother star, building a cross-planetary civilization, and opening the era of great spaceflight.
▲The distribution map (green block) of the country where the Starlink network service is currently landed, see https://www.starlink.com/map for details
A total of 2388 starlinks have been launched
As of April 21, 2022 Beijing time, SpaceX has launched a total of 2388 Satellites, including the initial 2 Tintin Tintin test satellites, 1 batch of 0.9 satellites (60 satellites), 28 batches of 1.0 satellites (1678 satellites, including 2 batches of 13 polar orbit satellites), and 13 batches of 1.5 satellites (648 satellites). At present, there are 2150 in orbit, 2120 in space operation, 1683 in official operation, 32 derailed, and 238 re-entry.
The launch, code-named Starlink Group 4-14, represents the fourth orbital layer of the first phase of the 14th deployment of the Starlink Constellation. (Starlink Group 4-2, 4-13 has not yet been deployed) According to the starlink constellation design, the fourth orbital layer consists of 72 orbital surfaces, each of which includes 22 orbital surfaces, a total of 1584 satellites, an operating altitude of 540 kilometers, and an equatorial inclination of 53.22°. A total of 648 have been launched (46 have been re-entered).