F9: Starlink v1.0 Launch #17 & #19


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Yes, 17 and 18 were out of order. 

 

StarLink #17

Date: February 5, 2021 (tomorrow 🤪)

Time: 0514 Eastern (1014 UT)

 

StarLink #19

Date: February 11, 2021

Time:  0040 Eastern (0548 UT)

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Today's Starlink launch delayed to Sunday.

 

ASDS Of Course I Still Love You needs more time to get back to port, unload and return to station. ASDS Just Read the Instructions is getting refits, so no tag-team. This'll also allow for more pre-launch checks.

 

Date: Feb. 7,2021

Time: 0431 Eastern

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've only just watched it back now, looks like something may have gone wrong with the entry burn IMO. After you hear Stage 1 Entry burn shutdown there still seems to be some flame coming that definitely isn't RCS as it's far too bight.

So I'm going to assume a problem with one of the Merlins and the computer decided that it wasn't safe to land so it didn't do the last minute divert to the drone ship.

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38 minutes ago, Skiver said:

I've only just watched it back now, looks like something may have gone wrong with the entry burn IMO. After you hear Stage 1 Entry burn shutdown there still seems to be some flame coming that definitely isn't RCS as it's far too bight.

So I'm going to assume a problem with one of the Merlins and the computer decided that it wasn't safe to land so it didn't do the last minute divert to the drone ship.

Yea...just watched it. That entry burn stage definitely looked different than prior ones.  Almost like an engine was still burning/venting propellent which ignited ... or something else was aflame that normally isn't.  Also didn't hear a call-out for landing burn/landing leg deploy, etc.  So they probably lost the booster shortly after that re-entry burn.

 

Will be interesting to hear what SpaceX says.  I doubt the Falcon spotted the three seagulls on OCISLY and decided to abort.  :)

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1 minute ago, Jim K said:

Yea...just watched it. That entry burn stage definitely looked different than prior ones.  Almost like an engine was still burning/venting propellent which ignited ... or something else was aflame that normally isn't.  Also didn't hear a call-out for landing burn/landing leg deploy, etc.  So they probably lost the booster shortly after the re-entry.

 

Will be interesting to hear what SpaceX says.  I doubt the Falcon spotted the three seagulls on OCISLY and decided to abort.  :)

I did watch a video from NSF and they did say occasionally there is a bit of plasma from re-entry that can light the booster up a little. I've not watched every launch and landing but I've seen a fair few and that one certainly stood out to me as being something off.

Yeah, I didn't pick up on that but definitely no landing burn/leg deployment callout so I suspect they knew it was a loss way before we did. There's also a comment about the telemetry data stopping shortly after the landing burn so it may have gone even more wrong that we know.

Glad Starlink managed to make it up so still a mission success but it's rare for a problem to occur so gives us all something to focus on whilst we wait for SN10s static Fire.

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Yup, looked like an anomalous entry burn  shutdown, then the telemetry went bye-bye. Not a good sign. They've always said they expected to lose 25-30% of boosters, so they're still ahead of the house.

 

OTOH, the seagulls didn't get roasted.

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17 minutes ago, Skiver said:

I did watch a video from NSF and they did say occasionally there is a bit of plasma from re-entry that can light the booster up a little. I've not watched every launch and landing but I've seen a fair few and that one certainly stood out to me as being something off.

Yeah, I didn't pick up on that but definitely no landing burn/leg deployment callout so I suspect they knew it was a loss way before we did. There's also a comment about the telemetry data stopping shortly after the landing burn so it may have gone even more wrong that we know.

Glad Starlink managed to make it up so still a mission success but it's rare for a problem to occur so gives us all something to focus on whilst we wait for SN10s static Fire.

 

A good example of what they're talking about would be from this launch from January 2020... which isn't what was seen on last night's launch.

 

(18:40 - 19:02)

 

...still...24 landings in row before this failure. 👍

 

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4 hours ago, bguy_1986 said:

I'd be a little surprised if they have that.

Normally they would, the booster's-eye-view landing camera, but after the bad shutdown the telemetry also quit. 

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57 minutes ago, DocM said:

Normally they would, the booster's-eye-view landing camera, but after the bad shutdown the telemetry also quit. 

Yah, that's what I was getting at.  I assume things started to get ripped apart.... but I'm not an engineer or anything close.  Guess they could have a "black box" type of thing that could save some of the data.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Boca Chica Village and surrounds may be be re-incorporated as the City of  Starbase, Texas. SpaceX informed the County govt a few days ago.

 

 

 

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