Beyond the Cocoa Beach Pier, Falcon 9 rose to orbit this evening. Photo: Charles Boyer, Talk of Titusville
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 10-4 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff was at 01:09 AM EDT.
After a nominal ascent, around 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster used for the mission, tail number B1077, touched down safely on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Carolinas. B1077 has now flown fourteen successful missions.
According to SpaceX, tonight’s mission marks the 300th time the company has re-flown a booster after its initial flight.
Falcon 9’s second-stage two burns were also right on the money, and the Starlink Group 10-4 of 23 Starlink Mini v2 satellites were placed into their intended initial orbit.
SpaceX confirmed a successful satellite deployment at 02:13 AM EDT, concluding the mission successfully.
With Booster B1077 safely aboard, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ will now return to Port Canaveral, where the booster will be unloaded, transported to SpaceX’s Hangar X facility at Kennedy Space Center and prepared for its next flight after inspection and refurbishment.
Launch Replay
Payload
Today’s payload was another 23 Starlink satellites that will join SpaceX’s constellation in low-Earth orbit. Over 1,000 of these satellites have been launched this year alone. There are well over 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, providing Internet connectivity to the company’s customers.
Next Launch
United Launch Alliance will launch a classified payload for the US Space Force aboard an Atlas V 551 from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Station on Tuesday morning.
Date: NET June 25, 2024
Organization: NASA / SpaceX
Mission: USSF-51
Rocket: Atlas V 551
Launch Site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 06:45 AM – 11:45 AM EDT
Payload: You don’t meet the criteria for need to know.
Representative Atlas V lifting off from SLC-41. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.
Typical Falcon 9 on its launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Fresh on the heels of a successful Return to Flight mission of Falcon 9 this morning, SpaceX plans to launch another set of twenty-three Starlink satellites, this time from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Sunday morning.
The launch window is similar to this morning’s Starlink 10-9 launch as well: it opens at 12:13 AM EDT and extends until 04:43 AM EDT the same day. Should weather or technical reasons arise and cause a delay, the company has a similar launch window Monday, July 29.
After it completes its portion of the mission, the booster will land offshore on ASDS ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas’, which is stationed offshore downrange on the Atlantic Ocean near the Carolinas. Since this is not a Return To Launch Site mission, no sonic booms will be heard on the Space Coast.
The launch will be SpaceX’s 74th of 2024 and its 35th from SLC-40 this year. Overall, it will be the 386th SpaceX launch of all time.
At A Glance
Mission: Starlink 10-4
Date: NET July 28, 2024
Launch Window: 12:13 AM – 04:43 AM EDT*
Weather: 85% Go during the primary launch window
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Trajectory: Northeastward
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS A Shortfall of Gravitas
Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.
Payload
The payload for this mission is the same as this morning: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Starlink provides low-latency, high-bandwidth Interet connectivity to its customers and began serving its first users in the Autumn of 2020. Currently, there are over 6,000 active Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, serving over three million customers in over 100 countries worldwide.
Rendering of Starlink satellites in orbit. Graphic: SpaceX
Weather
General Forecast
Once again, the weather looks good for a launch tonight, especially given the season. The 45th Weather Squadron of the US Space Force — the group that produces the official launch forecast and provides range weather services — has not ruled out the possibility of a shower or an anvil cloud entering the launch region and causing a delay.
Temperature
80° F / 26.7°C
Humidity
~80%
Precipitation
None, Probably
Cloud cover
~65%
Windspeed (at ground level)
12 MPH / 5.5 m/s
Visibillity
~10.6 miles / 17.0 km
As shown below, the 45th’s forecast states, “Models are divided on development of any late evening convection nearby, but persistence suggests there will be enough instability that a few popups can’t be ruled out even late night if outflows do move through. Anvil level flow will remain out of the north-northeast, bringing a messy mix of frontal cloudiness, convective debris, and remnant anvils across the Spaceport for both launch windows. These will present the main forecast concern, with a smaller threat for locally developing showers with any outflows. There are currently no clear trends throughout the windows as the front and mid-level trough digging into the east coast will likely keep any convection to the north going into the late evening.”
Despite these concerns the 45th is rating the chances of acceptable weather at 85% GO, with only a 15% Probability of Violation.
The official forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron:
45th Weather Squadron Starlink 10-4 Forecast issued July 27. Retrieved 11:00 AM EDT, 27 July 2024 A cumulonimbusincus — an Anvil Cloud. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trajectory
The trajectory for the Starlink 10-4 mission is northeastward, the customary direction for SpaceX’s Group 10 Starlink launches. The rocket right-to-left if you are on the Space Coast and facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.
Landing
After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘A Shortfall Of Gravitas.’
As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 10-4. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.
Launch Viewing: In Person
This morning’s planned launch is from SLC-40, on the south side of the Eastern Range (KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station combined.) The southern parks in Titusville on Washington Avenue and FL-528/A1A in Cape Canaveral are the best spots to watch liftoff directly.
There are several excellent viewing spots for SLC-40 launches that offer indirect views — meaning you won’t see the rocket until it clears obstructions such as trees, buildings, even a storm berm in one case.
Parking fees (probably). Pay with your smartphone on the parking app. There are signs everywhere telling you how.
Further away, but still good views.
Northern Titusville Parks
Further away, but really nice views.
Restaurants With Good Launch Views
Given that the launch window opens after midnight and closes before dawn, local restaurants will be closed before liftoff and will not re-open before the end of the window.
Booster: B1077
According to SpaceX, “This is the 14th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-5, GPS III Space Vehicle 06, Inmarsat I6-F2, CRS-28, Intelsat G-37, NG-20, and seven Starlink missions.” That’s Booster B1077.
SpaceXBooster B1077
Flight
Mission
Date
1
Crew-5
10/15/2023
2
GPS III SV06
01/18/2023
3
Inmarsat-6 F2
02/18/2023
4
Starlink Group 5-10
03/29/2023
5
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-28
06/05/2023
6
Galaxy 37
08/03/2023
7
Starlink Group 6-13
09/01/2023
8
Starlink Group 6-25
10/30/2023
9
Starlink Group 6-33
12/07/2023
10
Northrup Grumman NG-20
01/30/2024
11
Starlink Group 6-43
03/10/2024
12
Starlink Group 6-51
04/17/2024
13
Starlink Group 6-63
06/05/2024
Booster 1077 flight record as of June 5, 2024
SpaceX has not yet announced which Falcon 9 booster will fly tonight’s mission.
A time-lapse “launch streak” shot of a Falcon 9’s flight as seen from Cocoa Beach. While ignition and liftoff will not be directly visible, the majority of the flight will be clear to observers, clouds permitting. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Countdown Timeline
There are key events in the countdown that you may hear called out in launch coverage.
Remember that once Propellant Loading (T-minus thirty-eight minutes) starts, Falcon 9 is committed to the launch attempt. Because of the nature of the cryogenic fuels used to power the rockets, any hold precludes a later launch attempt the same day. While it only rarely happens, there have been occasions where that has happened, and a launch scrub is called for the day’s attempt.
SpaceX provides the following countdown milestones on their mission information page:
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
Event
00:38:00
SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00*
RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00
1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00
2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00
Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00
Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00
Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45
SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03
Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00
Falcon 9 liftoff
* after propellant loading begins, SpaceX is committed, and any holds until liftoff results in a scrub for the day. This is important if the weather is marginal. Via SpaceX. SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.
Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight
SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
Event
00:00:00
Liftoff
00:01:10
Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:26
1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30
1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36
2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:57
Fairing deployment
00:06:05
1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:28
1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:46
1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:14
1st stage landing
00:08:39
2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:40
2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:42
2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:03:34
Starlink satellites deploy
via: SpaceX. SpaceX flight timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.
All events up to the end of the 1st stage entry burn should be visible for launch spectators watching the launch in person, so long as clouds are not blocking the viewer’s line of sight.
Keep Up To Date With Space News
Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you can cancel at any time.
The Mid-Course Tracking Station keeping a watching electronic eye on Falcon 9 as it tracks the launch Saturday morning. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX launched the Starlink 10-9 mission early Saturday morning from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff was at 01:45 AM EDT, and Booster B1069 completed its 17th flight by successfully landing on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions’ roughly 8.25 minutes after lifting off and lofting the payload towards orbit.
SpaceX announced a successful payload deployment at 02:49 AM EDT.
Falcon 9’s upper stage has completed its second engine burn to place it in the final deploy orbit
This was a Return To Flight mission after the Starlink 9-3 mishap, one that the company stated Friday was the result of “a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system.”
SpaceX devised and tested a fix quickly after identifying the root cause of the problem, allowing them to fly this morning’s mission a mere 15 days after that issue caused a rare failure in Falcon 9’s second stage. Earlier today, Sarah Walker, the Director of Dragon Mission Management at SpaceX said in a Crew 9 update that the company had removed the faulty sense line and tested the repair at the company’s engine facility in Macgregor, Texas. The fix was also successful in Falcon 9’s Return To Flight mission this morning.
Launch Replay
Payload
Twenty-three Starlink Mini V2 satellites. Once fully operational, the satellites will join the burgeoning Starlink constellation, which serves over three million customers in around one hundred countries worldwide.
A Starlink satellites being deployed in an earlier mission. Photo via SpaceX
Next Launch
SpaceX is scheduled to launch another set of Starlink satellites early on Sunday morning, this time from Space Launch Complex 40.
Date: NET July 28, 2024
Organization: SpaceX
Mission: Starlink Group 10-4
Rocket: Falcon 9
Launch Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch Window: 12:13 – 04:43 AM EDT
Payload: Starlink Mini v2 satellites
Keep in mind that launch dates and times change often. Launch attempts can be scrubbed anytime due to weather, technical reasons, or range conditions.
Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you can cancel at any time.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off in August of last year to start a Starlink mission from Florida. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 carrying twenty-three Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad LC-39A early Saturday morning. The launch window opens at 12:21 AM EDT on July 27 and extends until 04:21 AM the same day. If needed, the company has a backup launch window at the same time, twenty-four hours later, on July 28.
After it completes its portion of the mission, the booster will land offshore on ASDS ‘Just Read The Instructions’, which is stationed offshore.
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, July 27 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 12:21 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:21 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Sunday, July 28 starting at the same time.
The launch will be SpaceX’s 73rd launch of 2024, and its 14th launch from LC-39A this year. Overall, it will 384th SpaceX launch all time. This flight will be the first since the Starlink 9-3 mishap on July 11.
At A Glance
Mission: Starlink 10-9
Date: NET July 27, 2024
Launch Window: 12:21 AM – 04:21 AM EDT*
Weather: 85% Go during the primary launch window
Organization: SpaceX
Rocket: Falcon 9
Trajectory: Northeastward
Launch Site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center
Booster Landing: Offshore on ASDS Just Read The Instructions
Payload: Communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit.
Destination: Low-Earth Orbit
* consult SpaceX website for the specific target for T-0.
Payload
The payload for this mission is a familiar one: twenty-three Starlink satellites. Once deployed and operational, the satellites will join SpaceX’s Starlink constellation that provides Internet connectivity to over three million subscribers in over 100 countries globally.
Starlink Mini V2 satellites being deployed in orbit. Photo: SpaceX
Weather
Weather is looking good, considering that it is the Dog Days of summer in Florida, which means that inclement weather is a threat anywhere at any time.
As such, the 45th Weather Squadron states, “The western Atlantic ridge axis is north of the Spaceport with deep onshore flow continuing to drive the east coast seabreeze quickly inland each afternoon. Lingering effects from Saharan dust will keep conditions drier than normal, with lower chances for overnight coastal showers. The primary weather concern for an attempt early Saturday morning is the Cumulus Cloud Rule associated with a stray coastal shower.”
They are rating the chances of a weather-related scrub at 15% in the primary launch window, meaning there is an 85% chance of acceptable conditions during the launch window.
Trajectory
The trajectory for the Starlink 10-9 mission is northeastward, or right-to-left if you are on the Space Coast and facing in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean.
Landing
After completing its part of the mission, the first stage booster will land offshore on the Automated Spaceport Drone Ship ‘Just Read The Instructions.’
As such, there will be no sonic boom on the Space Coast.
SpaceX will have a livestream of the launch on their website: Starlink 10-9. This will also be available on the X platform. Coverage starts about five minutes before liftoff.
Spaceflight Now will have coverage of the launch starting about one hour before liftoff on Youtube: link
For official updates regarding launch times, SpaceX.com is the best source of information. Starlink launch times change from time to time, and the company generally updates their website within minutes of the decision to change the launch time. This is very handy if none of the streaming options on YouTube have started their broadcasts.
Remember that there is a delay between a launch stream and the actual countdown clock. That is simply because of physics: it takes time for the signal to travel from the launch site, through the Internet, and back down to your phone, resulting in a five to fifteen-second delay.
Next Space Launch an app for iOS and Android phones, has a real-time countdown clock that is accurate to a second, give or take. The app is free. Search the App Store or Google Play.
Launch Viewing: In Person
Late-night/early morning launches from LC-39A have somewhat limited viewing options, meaning that Playalinda Beach, the Merritt Island National Seashore, and most restaurants will be closed during the launch window.
That does not mean that good views are not available there are some excellent options, albeit from a slightly further distance than day or early evening liftoffs.
The best direct views of liftoff are the northern Titusville riverfront parks, one of the local businesses or Playalinda Beach:
If you plan to view launches, don’t forget the bug spray and possibly a flashlight to light your way to the viewing area.
Booster B1069
According to SpaceX, tonight’s booster previously launched “This is the 17th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19, and 12 Starlink missions.”
B1069’s last flight was June 8, 2024, when it launched the Starlink 10-1 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
B1069
May 5, 2024
Flight
Mission
Launch Date
1
CRS-24
December 21, 2021
2
Starlink 4-23
August 28, 2022
3
Hotbird 13F
October 15, 2022
4
OneWeb 15
December 8, 2022
5
Starlink 5-3
February 2, 2023
6
SES 18 & 19
March 17, 2023
7
Starlink 5-6
May 4, 2023
8
Starlink 5-12
June 23, 2023
9
Starlink 6-9
August 11, 2023
10
Starlink 6-19
September 30, 2023
11
Starlink 6-28
November 18, 2023
12
Starlink 6-36
December 29, 2023
13
Starlink 6-39
February 25, 2024
14
Starlink 6-47
April 5, 2024
15
Starlink 6-57
May 6, 2024
16
Starlink 10-1
June 8, 2024
As of June 8, 2024
Booster B1069 launching the Starlink 6-57 mission in May 2024. This view was from the Banana River Bridge in Cape Canaveral. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Countdown Timeline
There are key events in the countdown that you may hear called out in launch coverage.
Remember that once Propellant Loading (T-minus thirty-eight minutes) starts, Falcon 9 is committed to the launch attempt. Because of the nature of the cryogenic fuels used to power the rockets, any hold precludes a later launch attempt the same day. While it only rarely happens, there have been occasions where that has happened, and a launch scrub is called for the day’s attempt.
SpaceX provides the following countdown milestones on their mission information page:
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
Event
00:38:00
SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
00:35:00*
RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
00:35:00
1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
00:16:00
2nd stage LOX loading begins
00:07:00
Falcon 9 begins engine chill prior to launch
00:01:00
Command flight computer to begin final prelaunch checks
00:01:00
Propellant tank pressurization to flight pressure begins
00:00:45
SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
00:00:03
Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
00:00:00
Falcon 9 liftoff
* after propellant loading begins, SpaceX is committed, and any holds until liftoff results in a scrub for the day. This is important if the weather is marginal. Via SpaceX. SpaceX countdown timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.
Timeline of Falcon 9 Flight
SpaceX has published a timeline of expected events during the mission:
Hours:Minutes:Seconds
Event
00:00:00
Liftoff
00:01:10
Max-Q (Moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:26
1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:02:30
1st and 2nd stages separate
00:02:36
2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:02:57
Fairing deployment
00:06:05
1st stage entry burn begins
00:06:28
1st stage entry burn ends
00:07:46
1st stage landing burn begins
00:08:14
1st stage landing
00:08:39
2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:54:40
2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:54:42
2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
01:03:34
Starlink satellites deploy
via: SpaceX. SpaceX flight timeline is presented for information purposes only and can be changed by the launch provider without notice.
All events up to the end of the 1st stage entry burn should be visible for launch spectators watching the launch in person, so long as clouds are not blocking the viewer’s line of sight.
Keep Up To Date With Space News
Keep up with launch news and other space events that affect the local area by subscribing to alerts when we publish a new article by entering your email at the link at the bottom of this page, or by visiting Space Talk here on the website. It’s free, and you can cancel at any time.
Falcon 9 launching from Pad LC-39A Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX has been cleared to resume launching Falcon 9 by the FAA. Almost immediately afterward, the company announced a launch of the venerable rocket from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center early Sunday morning.
The company stated that the Starlink 9-3 mishap in a statement on their website “The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line,” SpaceX said.
In turn, “The liquid oxygen leak on the upper stage led to the excessive cooling of engine components, most importantly those associated with delivery of ignition fluid to the engine. As a result, the engine experienced a hard start rather than a controlled burn, which damaged the engine hardware and caused the upper stage to subsequently lose attitude control,” said SpaceX today.
SpaceX then outlined the fix that they will employ in the short-term future, “For near term Falcon launches, the failed sense line and sensor on the second stage engine will be removed. The sensor is not used by the flight safety system and can be covered by alternate sensors already present on the engine. The design change has been tested at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, with enhanced qualification analysis and oversight by the FAA and involvement from the SpaceX investigation team.”
That presumes that they will be looking for a permanent fix but, in the meantime, will employ the method outlined above. It is unknown whether that will be sufficient for crewed flights — either to SpaceX, NASA, or the FAA.
FAA Statement
The FAA released the following statement:
“The FAA is responsible for and committed to protecting the public during commercial space transportation launch and reentry operations.
After a comprehensive review, the FAA determined no public safety issues were involved in the anomaly that occurred during the SpaceX Starlink Group 9-3 launch on July 11. The public safety determination means the Falcon 9 vehicle may return to flight operations while the overall investigation remains open, provided all other license requirements are met.”
SpaceX submitted its mishap report to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding Falcon 9’s launch anomaly on July 11, 2024. SpaceX’s investigation team, with oversight from the FAA, was able to identify the most probable cause of the mishap and associated corrective actions to ensure the success of future missions.
Post-flight data reviews confirmed Falcon 9’s first stage booster performed nominally through ascent, stage separation, and a successful droneship landing. During the first burn of Falcon 9’s second stage engine, a liquid oxygen leak developed within the insulation around the upper stage engine. The cause of the leak was identified as a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor attached to the vehicle’s oxygen system. This line cracked due to fatigue caused by high loading from engine vibration and looseness in the clamp that normally constrains the line. Despite the leak, the second stage engine continued to operate through the duration of its first burn, and completed its engine shutdown, where it entered the coast phase of the mission in the intended elliptical parking orbit.
A second burn of the upper stage engine was planned to circularize the orbit ahead of satellite deployment. However, the liquid oxygen leak on the upper stage led to the excessive cooling of engine components, most importantly those associated with delivery of ignition fluid to the engine. As a result, the engine experienced a hard start rather than a controlled burn, which damaged the engine hardware and caused the upper stage to subsequently lose attitude control. Even so, the second stage continued to operate as designed, deploying the Starlink satellites and successfully completing stage passivation, a process of venting down stored energy on the stage, which occurs at the conclusion of every Falcon mission.
Following deployment, the Starlink team made contact with 10 of the satellites to send early burn commands in an attempt to raise their altitude. Unfortunately, the satellites were in an enormously high-drag environment with a very low perigee of only 135 km above the Earth. As a result, all 20 Starlink satellites from this launch re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere. By design, Starlink satellites fully demise upon reentry, posing no threat to public safety. To-date, no debris has been reported after the successful deorbit of Starlink satellites.
SpaceX engineering teams have performed a comprehensive and thorough review of all SpaceX vehicles and ground systems to ensure we are putting our best foot forward as we return to flight. For near term Falcon launches, the failed sense line and sensor on the second stage engine will be removed. The sensor is not used by the flight safety system and can be covered by alternate sensors already present on the engine. The design change has been tested at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, with enhanced qualification analysis and oversight by the FAA and involvement from the SpaceX investigation team. An additional qualification review, inspection, and scrub of all sense lines and clamps on the active booster fleet led to a proactive replacement in select locations.
Safety and reliability are at the core of SpaceX’s operations. It would not have been possible to achieve our current cadence without this focus, and thanks to the pace we’ve been able to launch, we’re able to gather unprecedented levels of flight data and are poised to rapidly return to flight, safely and with increased reliability. Our missions are of critical importance – safely carrying astronauts, customer payloads, and thousands of Starlink satellites to orbit – and they rely on the Falcon family of rockets being one of the most reliable in the world. We thank the FAA and our customers for their ongoing work and support.
Falcon 9 nears staging Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
Starlink 10-9 Launch Scheduled
Also on SpaceX’s website, a Falcon 9 launch was announced:
SpaceX is targeting Saturday, July 27 for a Falcon 9 launch of 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 12:21 a.m. ET, with backup opportunities available until 4:21 a.m. ET. If needed, additional opportunities are also available on Sunday, July 28 starting at the same time.
Talk of Titusville will publish a comprehensive launch preview tomorrow, Friday 26.
NASA’s Steve Stich and Boeing’s Mark Nappi provided an update on the Starliner CFT flight today in a teleconference. They stated that while no return date has been set for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return aboard the spacecraft, the agency and Boeing are relatively close to a Readiness Review that must be conducted prior to Starliner undocking from ISS and returning to Earth. According to NASA, that review may come as soon as the end of next week — or August 2, 2024.
“I think we’re starting to close in on those final pieces of the flight rationale to make sure that we can come home safely,” said Steve Stich.
Below are in-depth comments given by Stich and Nappi.
Addressing Returning On SpaceX Crew Dragon
Steve Stich was asked what the backup plan was if Williams and Wilmore could not return on Starliner. “Obviously, the luxury in our program today, and we’ve never really had this option in other NASA programs, is we have two different systems that we’re flying,” Stich replied. “Obviously, the backup option is to use a different system. I would rather not go into all those details until we get to that time, if we ever get to that time on what we plan to do.
“The beauty of having Dragon and Starliner in two different diverse space transportation systems is we can kind of use those as backups someday. Starliner could be a backup to a Dragon mission, and we’ve looked at all kinds of different contingencies for that. You’ve seen the Russians send up an empty Soyuz, right, to return a crew when they had a coolant leak.”
“I think the beauty of what we have in commercial crew is two different systems, and we would employ those systems if we need to, but we really have our team focused on as we close in on this final flight rationale: returning, uh, Butch and Suni on Starliner,” said Stich.
When asked to clarify his remarks, Stich said, “Our prime option is to complete the mission. There is a lot of good reasons to complete this mission, and bring Butch and Suni home on Starliner. Starliner was designed as a spacecraft to have the crew in the cockpit. The crew is integral to the spacecraft.”
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore prior to launching aboard Starliner. Photo: NASA
He added, “There’s a lot of objectives for the flight: having Butch and Suni on board during the deorbit burn and during the entry. Understanding how they monitor the system, how they work with the seat suit interface for landing, getting suited up in the vehicle. And then there’s a whole process of landing and recovery team that we really want to demonstrate before we get into [the] Starliner-1 mission.”
That said, Stich did not specifically rule out using Crew Dragon as a rescue vehicle, but he did make it clear that the current plan is to use Starliner to return the astronauts to Earth after a Readiness Review is completed.
NASA’s Steve Stich’s Comments
“We don’t have a major announcement today relative to a return date,” NASA’s program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program said today at the opening of the press conference. He added, “We’re making great progress, but we’re just not quite ready to do that.”
Steve Stich, NASA program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program in today’s press conference. Photo: from NASA livestream
Later, Stich added, “We’ll work to execute an agency review as soon as we’re ready to do that. That could be as early as late next week. We are following the data and we’ll schedule that review when we need to, and then after that, we’ll set the undock time.”
Parsing Stich’s comments, it is important to note that the agency review could be as soon as next week, but may be delayed further as mission managers and engineers review data from both the Crewed Flight Test Starliner in orbit — “Calypso” — and testing being conducted on the ground in New Mexico.
“I’ve said before, the key attributes of the flight rationale, really, are that we understand the helium leaks, we understand the stability of the leaks, and how we can manage those should they get bigger,” Stich said.
Stich also said that, “We have a criteria in place that we have established, a leak rate that will check before undock and verify that system is good to go.”
A test of Calypso’s thrusters will also be conducted this weekend, while the spacecraft remains docked to ISS. “The hot fire test this weekend will give us confidence in all the thrusters,” Stich said. “Then [we will have] the understanding coming out of White Sands relative to what that testing means and how it applies to the rest of the thruster system.”
The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is seen after it landed in White Sands, New Mexico, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. The landing completes an abbreviated Orbital Flight Test for the company that still meets several mission objectives for NASA’s Commercial Crew program. The Starliner spacecraft launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 6:36 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Essentially, it sounds like Boeing and NASA will compare ground tests from White Sands to the results they get from Calypso while it is in orbit.
Stich gave further detail. “Really, it’s about the key use of the thrusters for the deorbit burn; that’s the next time we use them. We know the thermal environment is less for the deorbit burn. We know the stressing cases on the thrusters are less.”
Stich concluded his opening remarks by saying “That’s really, I think, the final pieces of the flight rationale that we need to put together. The team is doing great. The joint Boeing and NASA team is doing well. They’re working side by side with each other every day.”
Boeing’s Mark Nappi’s Comments
Nappi is the vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. He leads the development, flight test, certification and missions of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner system.
Nappi opened his comments in today’s press conference by saying, “Last time we talked to you, we had 33 actions to complete in order to get to a place wherewe thought we had a good vehicle to come home and we could learn something about the root cause [of the thruster problems.] Of course, the long pull to those actions was all the testing at White Sands that Steve [Stich] talked about. At the time, we believed we had thrusters that were healthy, and we concluded we were good for emergency return.”
Boeing’s vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program in today’s press conference. Photo: NASA, from their livestream.
Nappi then went into further detail. “Remember, we said we did not have root cause and know what it was going to take to fix it permanently. So, we said, let’s take the time, let’s figure this out. Let’s run this testing at White Sands. If there’s anything more we can do after that testing while we’re docked to ISS, let’s take advantage of that, and then we’ll come home.”
“I think the plan has played out really well. In addition, it’s given us additional confidence to undock and return, and we have a little bit more work to do, as Steve has outlined.”
Nappi Gives A Thorough Breakdown Of Recent Activities
The following is a breakdown of Starliner’s status and testing that Mark Nappi provided today. While it is lengthy, readers may find it worthwhile to read in order to understand what has been done and what the current status of the spacecraft is.
“First of all, let’s start with the helium system. We have a service module at White Sands that was exposed to propellant. And it’s been exposed for about three years. So it was a really good test case to go and do some leak checks on and then take that hardware apart.”
“We did those leak checks. We found leaks. Of cours it’s been exposed to NTO [nitrogen tetroxide] for quite a while. We took the hardware apart, and we found pretty good degradation of the seals, which indicated that they had been exposed to NTO and degraded. So that was a really, really good data point, both from the standpoint of finding out that it had degraded seals.”
“But also we could capture a leak rate, which could end up being our worst case kind of leak rate, because this hardware was exposed for so long. On the second part of the testing, of course, was the thruster testing. Steve outlined that testing, but it was very stressful testing of that thruster through ATP uphill and approach and docking, some increased temperature profiles, um, and some very stressful downhill runs.”
“So all of that was done with the thruster, very heavily instrumented, which gave us a lot of. Information. From that information, and, of course, from theinspections after the test, we’ve determined two things. One is that there’s some teflon from a seal where the nto enters the thruster, and that seal was eroded.”
“And when we looked downstream from that seal, we found that material was lodged in a downstream filter. That is where the NTO goes through. Obviously, that restricts flow of Nto and may be part of the cause of the degradation that we’ve seen in flight. The bigger finding was where the nto goes through a port, to where it gets to the injector inside the thruster, and there’s a poppet that opens and closes and allows that nto to go through at the end of that poppet.”
“Very small poppet. It’s similar to the small inflation valve that you have on a car tire or a bike tire. That poppet has a Teflon seal at the end of it through the heating and the natural vacuum that occurs with the thruster firing. That poppet seal was deformed and actually bulged out a little bit, and again, was an indication that it’s restricting the nto from going through the system.
“So, again, a really good finding. When we looked at the information, we looked at the data, it really does replicate well what we’re seeing in flight. So we think these findings are very significant and are likely the root cause. Obviously, knowing root cause is what gets us to permanent fixes.”
“So there’s very strong evidence, and we’re going to continue to take that hardware apart so that we can finally prove this. Today we’re performing the final hardware inspections, and we’re doing some flow analysis through that type of valve arrangement where we have Teflon in the seal or, excuse me, Teflon in the filter, and this bulging of the Teflon at the end of the poppet.
And we’d like to see if we can model this restriction of nto and recreate what we’re seeing in flight. With all these test results we determined that we could run one more set of tests while we’re docked, and it’s really icing on the cake for us.
So, Steve talked about the one more docked hot fire test that’s going to verify all the thrusters are acceptable at the acceptable performance levels. Again, we learned something from this flight. We didn’t know that other visiting vehicles do this before they leave. And so we’re probably going to make that part of our normal regime when we are doing long duration missions.”
“Also, we’re going to do the helium manifold leak checks again. That will give us some data points on how stable the leaks are and assure there’s no additional NTO degradation. Lastly we have a very valuable guidance, navigation and control integrated performance model that was incorporating failures to answer the question, what if we’re wrong on some of these?”
“So they ran over 300 cases. And of all those cases, the results were either green, that we could return home safely or were determined to be not credible, or they had operational controls that could be applied to make sure that we returned home safely. So what’s next?”
“We’re going to share the data and flight rationale with the mission management team. We have one more meeting tomorrow to do that. We’ll use the weekend if required. We’re going to perform the stocking tests that we’ve described and then of course, there’ll be more reviews.”
“We’ll bring the complete story to the agency for the undoc review sometime next week, like Steve has outlined and then we’ll be ready to execute the last part of the mission. The last several weeks have been really helpful to understand the helium and thruster anomalies and how to address these problems for future flights.”
“That’s been the real goal here is to be able to address future flights and to gain the confidence that we needed for this mission. Weneed to take the time to get the community all this information and get back to completing the CFT mission. Our mission was to get the crew to ISS.”
“That’s been completed. Our mission was to learn from a flight test. A lot of the learning that we’ve achieved so far really, in my opinion, could only be achieved through the flight test. And now it’s time to get on with returning the crew safely. And there’s that step left to go.”
If you are interested, you can watch the entire press conference here:
Closeup of Falcon 9’s Merlin engines as the rocket lifts off. The static fire conducted last night was testing this part of the spacecraft. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
SpaceX conducted a static-firing of the nine Merlin engines of a Falcon 9 booster first stage at SLC-40 last night as the company prepares to return to flight after a very rare in-flight failure on July 11.
Falcon 9 ignited its 9 Merlin's for the first time since the anomaly on July 11th.
Liftoff of the Starlink 10-4 mission is scheduled for this weekend pending FAA approval.
Interestingly, it was not Falcon 9’s first stage that failed earlier this month, rather, it was in the second stage after the first stage had successfully completed its portion of the mission and had begun returning to land offshore. That landing was successful several minutes later.
For their part, SpaceX has not stated why they performed the static fire, a procedure that was a normal part of Falcon 9 missions until the last 12-18 months, when the company stopped performing the test. There are logical reasons to conduct a static fire — they could be proving in ground systems, or they could be returning to conducting the tests as an additional quality control test in advance of a high-stakes return to flight mission.
The return to flight missions seem to be close. While the FAA has not formally signed off on Falcon 9 returning to flight, SpaceX has prepositioned its drone ships out to see in positions that suggest imminent flights and landings. SpaceX led the Starlink 9-3 investigation and remediation efforts, with FAA oversight.
At the time of this writing, SpaceX has not announced a specific date and time for a target launch, though many of the online space launch scheduling sites are suggesting the dates are set:
While those sites are generally quite accurate, it remains to be seen if they are correct in this case. It is worth noting that of official word of the completion or acceptance of the Starlink 9-3 investigation results has been released, but at the same time, the FAA and SpaceX have been working closely to complete and close the investigation.
Falcon 9 in flight in 2024. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
The Core Stage on the move after being offloaded today at Kennedy Space Center Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
After berthing in the Turn Basin by the Press Center yesterday, the Core Stage of Artemis II was offloaded today and moved into the VAB. The process began around 9 a.m. EDT and took nearly three hours until the 212-foot rocket traveled the relatively short distance—perhaps 1/2 kilometer—to the VAB.
After the Solid Rocket Boosters are assembled in the VAB, the Core Stage will then be mounted between the two. The ten segments for those SRBs are already at Kennedy Space Center, in storage in the Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility, located just north of the VAB at Kennedy Space Center.
Daniel Jimenez, Operations Project Engineer (OPE) within the Vehicle Integration and Launch branch of the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program said yesterday that the SRBs are “Essentially primed and ready to go. What’s left for the VAB is obviously get all the facility ready.”
Jiminez also mentioned that Mobile Launch Platform that will be used for Artemis II is currently out at Pad LC-39B, where it is being set up for the launch of Artemis II. “More importantly, we get the ground systems ready,” he said, “So, we’re finishing up all of the testing of the systems that we have for Artemis II. It’s a crewed mission. So there are some systems that have to be updated for the Mobile Launcher Platform. That’s out at the pad.”
Later this summer, the testing will be completed, the VAB prepared and configured and then in the fall, the assembly of Artemis II will begin in earnest.
KSC workers watching the Core Stage for Artemis II entering the VABThe Core Stage turning to enter the VABThe Core StageFour Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines power Aremis II’s Core StageThe Core Stage entering the VAB.Closeup of two of the RS-25 engines.Have you ever moved a sofa or washer into your house and it would juuuuuuust fit through the door? This reminds a little of that..
The global space economy showed strong growth in the public and private sectors in 2023 according to The Space Foundation in its annual Space Report.
“Our annual global space economy analysis highlights the increasing importance of the space industry across both public and private sectors,” said Heather Pringle, CEO of Space Foundation in a press release that the organization released on July 18th. “Established subsectors and emerging markets cover an expanding range of space applications in our daily lives and push the boundary of what’s possible on and off Earth.”
The global space economy grew 7.4% to $570 billion in 2023
Commercial revenues topped $445 billion, 78% of the space economy
Government space spending maintained double-digit growth for a third year
— Space Foundation, Space Report
This news bodes well for the Space Coast’s economy, given its position of hosting the most active spaceport in the world. With multiple launch services companies active here in addition to NASA and commercial space leader SpaceX, a growing space economy globally will certainly be felt here at home in Florida.
Highlights of the Space Foundation Report
The following is an excerpt of the The Space Foundation’s press release:
Corporate earnings: Commercial revenues grew 5.4% in 2023 to $445B. These revenues made up 78% of the total space economy—the same ratio as in 2022. Some sectors of the commercial space grew rapidly:
The Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) sector was the largest earner, accounting for $209B in revenues—$11B more than 2022.
Smaller sectors in the industry saw more significant year-over-year growth. Ground stations and equipment grew 19%, while commercial satellite manufacturing and launch revenues doubled in the last two years.
Government spending: Government spending on civil and military space programs grew 11% in 2023 to $125B. For the third year in a row, government space budgets saw double digit percentage increases, driven by significant growth in military space budgets, which made up just under half of total government space spending. Some of the notable government spending increases include:
United States: In 2023, the US military space budget was estimated at $46B, 18% higher than in 2022 and approximately 80% of the total global spend on military space programs.
Japan: The Ministry of Defense had the second-largest growth in military spending, increasing their space budget to ¥128B ($81M)–a 32% year-over-year increase.
Poland: The country’s space budget has ballooned from $2.7M in 2017 to $59M in 2023, not including ESA and EUMETSAT contributions.
France: The government invested heavily in its national space program, growing its domestic civil space budget 40% to €1.5B ($1.63B).
Taiwan: Increased its overall space budget by approximately 90%, Conn said.
Who Are The Space Foundation?
Founded in 1983, The SpaceFoundation is an American nonprofit organization whose mission is to advocate for all sectors of the global space industry through space awareness activities, educational programs, and major industry events. They host the annual Space Symposium in Colorado attended by all of the major industry players, and over time, the Space Symposium has been a wellspring for announcements and news about upcoming projects in and of itself.
The Space Foundation also hosts Yuri’s Night, the annual celebration of human spaceflight that honors Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit the Earth. Celebrated at multiple locations annually, Yuri’s Night celebrations have been a regular part of the Space Coast social scene at their events at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center.
Move teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, position the massive rocket stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on special transporters to strategically guide the flight hardware the 1.3-mile distance from the factory floor onto the agency’s Pegasus barge on July 16. The core stage will be ferried to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will be integrated with other parts of the rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis II mission. Pegasus is maintained at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. Credit: NASA
The core stage of Artemis 2 departed the Assembly Facility in New Orleans on July 16th and is heading to Kennedy Space Center, where it will be assembled for a circumlunar mission planned for no earlier than September of 2025.
When it launches, Artemis 2 will have four crew members aboard an Orion capsule: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor J. Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis 2 Prime Crew. Photo: NASA/Robert Markowitz
In a press release, Catherine Koerner, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, “With Artemis, we’ve set our sights on doing something big and incredibly complex that will inspire a new generation, advance our scientific endeavors, and move U.S. competitiveness forward,” said. The SLS rocket is a key component of our efforts to develop a long-term presence at the Moon.”
Artemis 1 and SLS on its launch pad in 2022. Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville
NASA also says that the SLS rocket’s core stage is the largest the agency has ever produced. At 212 feet tall, it consists of five major elements, including two huge propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant to feed four RS-25 engines. During launch and flight, the stage will operate for just over eight minutes, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust to propel four astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.
Artemis 2 booster being loaded aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge. Photo: NASA
Now aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge, the massive core stage will travel by sea to Kennedy Space Center late this month.
Tugboats push and pull the barge Pegasus.
Photo: NASA
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