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SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 9 Carrying Starlink Demo Satellites (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the moving-forward dept.

SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base today, its first launch since its successful Falcon Heavy test earlier this month. The launch took off early Wednesday morning, after being rescheduled a couple of times from an initial target of this past weekend. From a report: The launch was primarily designed to bring the PAZ satellite to orbit (which was deployed as planned into a low Earth, sun-synchronous polar orbit), a satellite for a Spanish customer that's designed to provide geocommunications and radar imaging for both government and private commercial customers. This launch had a secondary purpose, however, and one that might ultimately be more important to SpaceX's long-term goals. SpaceX packed two demonstration micro satellites for its planned internet broadband service (which Elon Musk confided via tweet it will call 'Starlink'). These will perform tests required before it's certified to operate the service, which it hopes to use to generate revenue by signing up subscribers to its internet service, which will hopefully be globe-spanning once complete.

51 comments

  1. Impressive by 110010001000 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    SpaceX and Musk continue to push the boundaries of human exploration. With the launch of BFR we will soon have Mars in our grasp.

    1. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SpaceX and Musk continue to push the boundaries of human exploration. With the launch of BFR we will soon have Mars in our grasp.

      By launching something into LEO? That's pushing the boundaries of human exploration?

      I tell ya, the Musk fanboys are gonna be claiming that Musk invented rockets pretty soon.

    2. Re:Impressive by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      SpaceX rockets are fully autonomous with AI and blockchain capability. Plus they are lower cost and are reusable. Without Musk we would be stuck on this rock in a gravity well forever.

    3. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pay attention to the username you're replying to.
      Don't feed the trolls

    4. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give it a rest with the tired sarcasm, old timer.

    5. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot to add they are electric

    6. Re:Impressive by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      you're posting something about a Space and or Elon Musk related topic, has your account been hacked?

    7. Re:Impressive by fox171171 · · Score: 1

      You forgot to add they are electric

      That's Rocket Lab, not SpaceX.

  2. Elon musk, you are my master by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ^

    Filter error: You can type more than that for your comment.

  3. SPACEX Launch by tquasar · · Score: 1

    I was hoping to see the contrail from near San Diego. Could not but have seen some in the past. I once drove five hours to a place near Vandenberg to watch a launch and it was a great experience that was over in around one minute.

    1. Re:SPACEX Launch by avgjoe62 · · Score: 1

      ... it was a great experience that was over in around one minute.

      Well, that was about thirty seconds longer than my wedding night...

      --

      How come Slashdot never gets Slashdotted?

    2. Re:SPACEX Launch by Zorro · · Score: 1

      It is really only worth it if there is an expected Twilight effect.

      Like this:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xzs-R193U0

    3. Re:SPACEX Launch by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

      From LA it was mostly in the clouds. I think you could kind-of see the first stage separation, but not clear enough to be sure.

  4. Re:Q is back! Biggest intel drop of all time by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    Mod parent down. Didn't mention Bilderburg OR 9/11.

  5. Starlink? by taiwanjohn · · Score: 2

    Still wondering why the uber-geek who sent a car beyond Mars orbit with "DON'T PANIC!" on the dashboard didn't name his satellite swarm "Skynet" instead. Somebody else must already have the trademark.

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve your problem, you're not using enough of it. --AC
    1. Re:Starlink? by AHuxley · · Score: 3, Informative

      Skynet has a long history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  6. Really, another spy satellite? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do we seriously need more military junk up in space monitoring us?

    1. Re:Really, another spy satellite? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

      Yes. Trust but verify.

    2. Re:Really, another spy satellite? by JoshuaZ · · Score: 2

      PAZ is a radar satellite for both governments and commercial contractors. Note that satellites like PAZ help level the playing field for small governments that can't afford their own radar satellites. Making sure that everyone has access to this sort of thing actually has a stabilizing effect: If a government can see where a potentially hostile power's military resources are they will be less worried about a surprise attack or needing to launch a preemptive attack of their own. By the same token, if the potentially hostile power has a good view of their military, a surprise attack is less likely to achieve surprise and so make them less tempting. Giving everyone basic access to this makes for a more peaceful planet.

  7. Also, new fairing successful by JoshuaZ · · Score: 5, Informative

    This launch was also the first launch of the new fairing https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/spacex-falcon-9-paz-launch-starlink-demo-new-fairing/. The fairing is the two halves of the nose-cone which protect the payload from wind when the payload is going up in the atmosphere (as well as helping keep the overall rocket have less drag). Once the rocket hits the upper atmosphere (generally about the same time or shortly after 2nd stage cut off, depending on the specific rocket), the fairing breaks off since it is extra, unnecessarily mass at that point. SpaceX has been very interested in recovering the fairings and the upgraded fairing is both slightly larger (which is good because volume limitations are an issue for the Falcon 9 and even more so for the Falcon Heavy), and is also aimed at trying to make fairing recovery possible. If they can get fairing recovery and reuse to work then SpaceX will have another way of reducing the cost of launches since the fairings cost a few million to manufacture. The fact that this fairing was used without any apparent major glitches is very promising.

    1. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Eloking · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Thanks, I was unaware of the new fairing.

      A few interestings points in the linked article :

        - Falcon9 fairings have an estimated cost of about six million dollars. After a quick search, it's look like the advertised cost is 61.2 million maiking the fairing about 10% of the cost. Honestly, it's way more than I anticipaded.
        - The new fairing will not only survive atmosphere reentry, but they will "reorient themselves" before the ewentry and then deploy a parachute. It's bery impressing and I'm very curious about how they did this.
        - SpaceX is making a recovery boat with a big net to catch those new fairing that will come. For what I read, it's pretty similar to Of Course I Still Love You drone ship.

      Can't wait to see if they succeded.

      --
      Elok
    2. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From the article you linked: the fairing costs $6m? Really? I thought it was just an inert chunk of metal, which shouldn't be any harder to manufacture than the (much larger) fuel tanks.

    3. Re:Also, new fairing successful by JoshuaZ · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Even the fuel tanks cost a lot- everything in a rocket is subject to very high stresses. The fuel tanks are subject to the same high acceleration stresses as well as having to deal with extremely cold temperatures and a broad range of pressure conditions. The fairings are not only subject to the same high acceleration stresses, they need to also deal with a massive amount of air hitting them at a variety of different angles. Moreover, the fairing need to easily separate into two parts at just the right moment. None of this easy. There's good reason why we use "rocket science" as short-hand for something very difficult.

    4. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey josh, do you know if they increased the size of the fairing? Perhaps large enough to accommodate the BA-330?

      Windbourne (moderating).

    5. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      oops. Nevermind.
      They DID increase it, but I do not believe that it is enough to handle the BA-330. Bummer.

    6. Re: Also, new fairing successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > before the ewentry and then deploy a parachute. It's bery impressing

      Oh Llewellyn you wewwy talk funny

    7. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...the ewentry ... It's bery impressing ...

      I hope you get over that cold.

    8. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Rei · · Score: 2

      Honestly, it's way more than I anticipaded.

      It's more than SpaceX anticipated as well. Initially there were no plans to recover the fairings because, hey, it's a fairing, how much could it cost? Turns out, quite a bit actually.

      - SpaceX is making a recovery boat with a big net to catch those new fairing that will come. For what I read, it's pretty similar to Of Course I Still Love You drone ship.

      Already exists. Its name is "Mr. Steven". And it's actually quite different from Of Course I Still Love You; it's a relatively fast boat, since control on the fairing is limited (the drone ships just had to sit still and wait)

      --
      Point of interest. Offering to shoot us might not work so well as an incentive as you might imagine.
    9. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Eloking · · Score: 1

      ...the ewentry ... It's bery impressing ...

      I hope you get over that cold.

      Funny coincidence, I do have a cold right now. ...but I think my new keyboard is the real culprit. I missed a few keys.

      --
      Elok
    10. Re:Also, new fairing successful by JoshuaZ · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it seems like fitting in the BA-330 will require such a much larger fairing that they'd have to fundamentally change a lot of their machine tooling, and it would also drastically change the aerodynamics during Max Q (the second detail I haven't seen in any written source but I've heard people say that who seemed to know what they were talking about). Launching the BA-330 or any of the other fun Bigelow stuff may have to wait until the BFR is functional, or until a specific customer is willing to pay SpaceX a lot to develop a much bigger fairing.

    11. Re:Also, new fairing successful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, certainly the fuel tanks cost a lot. But ... if the fairing costs $6m, then the fuel tankage/fueslage, being ~5x larger and (I would expect) of similar complexity to manufacture, would cost ~$30m. A Falcon 9 launch, expendable, costs ~$60m. I wouldn't have expected the tankage to constitute half the entire cost of the rocket.

  8. Satellite delay? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's... weird.
    I just watched this on SpaceX's livestream and I could have sworn today was Thursday...

  9. Yes fairings are expensive by sjbe · · Score: 5, Informative

    From the article you linked: the fairing costs $6m? Really?

    You are aware that economies of scale are rather limited here right? It's not at all shocking that something like that would cost $6m in the sort of volume SpaceX deals in. Plus they aren't an "inert chuck of metal". Per SpaceX it is composite structure consisting of a 2.5 cm (1 in.) thick aluminum honeycomb core surrounded by carbon fiber face sheet plies (see section 4.3.7). It will require a huge oven for the carbon fiber which you can be sure is expensive and a lot of fancy tooling.

    It has to be light, designed to take quite a lot of pressure, shock, and vibration, and deal with temperatures, and it has to separate reliably. These are hard to make and expensive. In some cases the mission requires a custom fairing.

    1. Re:Yes fairings are expensive by Major_Disorder · · Score: 1, Funny

      It has to be light, designed to take quite a lot of pressure, shock, and vibration, and deal with temperatures, and it has to separate reliably. These are hard to make and expensive. In some cases the mission requires a custom fairing.

      Piffle, just carve it out of balsa wood. Learn from those who came before you... Estes.

      --
      First law of people: People are generally stupid.
    2. Re:Yes fairings are expensive by mspohr · · Score: 1

      Estes!
      Blast from the past.
      I built and flew a bunch of their rockets about 60 years ago. Great fun.
      Good to see that they are still in business.
      https://www.estesrockets.com/

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
  10. Re:PINGS of 240 ms minimum! Not a gamers solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Their sats will not be in geosync orbit so your entire premise is null and void.

    But you knew that, didn't you?

  11. Article showing fairing recovery by SuperKendall · · Score: 5, Informative

    I found another article that has a link showing Mr Steven (the catcher boat) and the fairing (which Mr. Steven missed this time, but the fairing, er, faired quite well landing in the ocean).

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  12. Re:Q is back! Biggest intel drop of all time by Diakoneo · · Score: 1

    Didn't invoke Godwin's Law, either. Prat.

    --
    "Just as there is nothing so unreal as reality TV, there is nothing as unsocial as social media." - Alistair Dabbs
  13. Where to buy? by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Piffle, just carve it out of balsa wood. Learn from those who came before you... Estes.

    Please direct me to where I can purchase an orbital class Estes rocket.

    1. Re:Where to buy? by Major_Disorder · · Score: 1

      Please direct me to where I can purchase an orbital class Estes rocket.

      All Estes rockets are orbital class. Where do you think all the lost rockets end up?

      --
      First law of people: People are generally stupid.
    2. Re:Where to buy? by sjbe · · Score: 2

      All Estes rockets are orbital class. Where do you think all the lost rockets end up?

      I think they go where my socks go so they really are Behind The Dryer class rockets.

  14. Internet from the sky by nomorecwrd · · Score: 1

    How can we call a system that delivers Internet from the skies above? I would go with SKYNET.

    1. Re:Internet from the sky by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      In real life Skynet was thwarted by a trademark suit brought by the Terminator franchise rights holders in 2021.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
  15. Interesting how things change by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I find it interesting how the fact that this satellite group was launched by yet another previously launched booster, and it was more of a "oh and by the way" part of the articles. There's something to be said about the fact that reuse has become such a common occurrence that it's no longer the headline.

    1. Re:Interesting how things change by michelcolman · · Score: 2

      Common for SpaceX, yes...

  16. Re:PINGS of 240 ms minimum! Not a gamers solution by michelcolman · · Score: 1

    They will be in LEO, pings will be a lot quicker, possibly quicker than cable over long distances.

  17. Re:PINGS of 240 ms minimum! Not a gamers solution by Lanforod · · Score: 3, Informative

    Most communications satellites are located in the Geostationary Orbit (GSO) at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km above the equator. At this height the satellites go around the earth in a west to east direction at the same angular speed at the earth's rotation, so they appear to be almost fixed in the sky to an observer on the ground.

    If you are located on the equator and are communicating with a satellite directly overhead then the total distance, single hop (up and down) is nearly 72,000 km so the time delay is 240 ms

    If you were to communicate with another similarly located site, the total distance is nearly 84,000 km so the end to end delay is almost 280 mS, which is a little over quarter of a second.

    They're putting them up a lot, lot lower than that, some only 200 km up. Pings expecting to be 25-35ms, which isn't out of ordinary for normal broadband latency. A speedtest on my fast connection just now put my latency at 51ms (with ~120 Mbps up/down).

  18. Re:PINGS of 240 ms minimum! Not a gamers solution by ElizabethGreene · · Score: 4, Informative

    SpaceX's constellation will be orbiting 35 times closer than GEO, at ~1,100 kilometers. So... "Pings of 7-8 ms minimum" is slightly more accurate.

    As satellites near the end of their life they'll carefully lower these orbits down to less than 300km before de-orbiting them. Their documentation does not indicate if they'll continue active communications during that period. My guess is they won't because of the shorter orbital period, but I could be wrong.

    If I were a last-mile monopoly Telco I would be slightly concerned. Mr. Musk's companies have a delightful habit of redefining the impossible.

  19. Re:PINGS of 240 ms minimum! Not a gamers solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    25ms is almost exactly the ping between Chicago and NYC, since it's 10ms from me to Chicago.

    https://www.quadranet.com/new-...

    Tracing route to 23.226.128.10 over a maximum of 30 hops

    1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.1.1
    2 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms x
    3 1 ms 2 ms 1 ms x
    4 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms x
    5 2 ms 2 ms 2 ms x
    6 11 ms 11 ms 10 ms x
    7 10 ms 10 ms 10 ms 128.177.133.21
    8 11 ms 10 ms 11 ms ae0.mpr2.msp1.us.zip.zayo.com [64.125.30.197]
    9 31 ms 31 ms 30 ms ae4.cr1.ord2.us.zip.zayo.com [64.125.30.62]
    10 30 ms 30 ms 31 ms ae27.cs1.ord2.us.eth.zayo.com [64.125.30.242]
    11 56 ms 36 ms 33 ms ae3.cs1.lga5.us.eth.zayo.com [64.125.29.208]
    12 31 ms 29 ms 30 ms ae27.cr1.lga5.us.zip.zayo.com [64.125.30.251]
    13 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms ae11.mpr3.lga7.us.zip.zayo.com [64.125.20.14]
    14 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms ae1.mpr2.ewr2.us.zip.zayo.com [64.125.24.202]
    15 36 ms 36 ms 35 ms unix.iad.above.net [207.126.105.138]
    16 35 ms 34 ms 35 ms 23.226.128.10

    Trace complete.