Starlink V1.0 L17: Wednesday 17 FEB 2021 at 12:55am EST (0555hrs z) from LC-39A (Kennedy Space Center). - Bendecko
According to the Spaceflight Now Launch Schedule page, Starlink L17 has been delayed yet again. I haven't seen anything from SpaceX about it or why it has happened. The new launch date and time are yet to be determined, and I will provide it when it is set.
Meanwhile, while it's not technically a "launch," NASA's Mars Rover Perseverance, including the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, is set to land on Mars at the Jezero crater this coming Thursday, 18 FEB 2021 at 3:30pm EST (2030hrs z). The live stream will begin 1.25 hours before the landing—the link is here (I will post the embed later, hopefully after tomorrow's Starlink 17 launch). - Bendecko
Here is the embed for the NASA Perseverance landing on Thursaday:
Blog | Updated at 12:55 p.m. PST
NASA's Perseverance Has Landed
Cheers erupted in mission control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as controllers confirmed that NASA's Perseverance rover, with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attached to its belly, has touched down safely on Mars. Engineers are analyzing the data flowing back from the spacecraft.
A postlanding briefing is expected at 5:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. PST) on NASA TV and YouTube.
Blog | Updated at 1:38 p.m. PST
First Image From Perseverance on Mars
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has sent back its first image(s) from the surface of the Red Planet. The image(s) come from Perseverance's Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams), which help with driving. The clear protective covers over these cameras are still on. These first images are low-resolution versions known as "thumbnails." Higher-resolution versions will be available later.
A postlanding briefing is expected at 5:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. PST) on NASA TV and YouTube.
I can't wait for more imagery and video to be released. There is supposed to be a number of recordings of the landing from different POV/sources: the Cruise Stage, the Backshell, the Sky Crane, and the Rover itself. Also looking forward to the first imagery from the Ingenuity helicopter, which will perform it's first test flight tomorrow.
I can't wait for more imagery and video to be released. There is supposed to be a number of recordings of the landing from different POV/sources: the Cruise Stage, the Backshell, the Sky Crane, and the Rover itself. Also looking forward to the first imagery from the Ingenuity helicopter, which will perform it's first test flight tomorrow. - Bendecko
In the above photo, the Perseverance is suspended by cables from the Skycrane as it descends toward the surface, about two meters from the surface of Mars. As mentioned in the above tweet, image is actually a still of a video taken by a camera on the Skycrane and downloaded to the rover via the electrical umbilical, which is the curly cable wrapped around the topmost suspension cable in the image. We may actually be seeing streaks on the Mars surface due to some of its dust being kicked-up by the descent/landing rocket nozzle exhaust on the Skycrane. We will be able to better tell what's going on as the rest of the video is transmitted from Perseverance to NASA JPL, relayed via a number of NASA spacecraft that are already orbiting Mars, one of which took the below image:
To keep up-to-date with the latest imagery coming from Perseverance, go to (and follow) @NASAJPL and @NASAPersevere, and by visiting the NASA Mars 2020 mission website. And thank you for visiting LaunchBuzz at the Cape.
We will be able to better tell what's going on as the rest of the video is transmitted from Perseverance to NASA JPL, relayed via a number of NASA spacecraft that are already orbiting Mars... - Bendecko
Yesterday NASA released this:
For the details here's a good clip from NASA briefing for the release:
NASA also released Perseverance's first 360 view of its surroundings:
According to the Spaceflight Now Launch Schedule page, Starlink L17 has been delayed yet again. I haven't seen anything from SpaceX about it or why it has happened. The new launch date and time are yet to be determined, and I will provide it when it is set. - Bendecko
After an auto-abort at T-1:24 on Sunday evening (2/28/21) and a subsequent scrub for weather last evening (3/1/21), the latest attempt to Launch Starlink 17 is for tonight, Tues 2 MAR 2021 at 7:53pm EST (0053hrs z on 3/3/21) from LC-39A (KSC).
However, the probability of a go is currently at 40% due to unfavorable conditions in the weather forecast.
The new live launch stream:
The stream should go live 15 to 20 min before the instantaneous launch window, despite what is indicated by YouTube.
Given the 60% chance of a no-go, I will provide any further updates as they happen.
Given the 60% chance of a no-go, I will provide any further updates as they happen. - Bendecko
SpaceX
@SpaceX
Now targeting no earlier than Thursday, March 4 for launch of Starlink [17] due to a Range conflict and unfavorable launch and recovery weather 3:53 PM · Mar 2, 2021
SpaceX
@SpaceX
Now targeting no earlier than Thursday, March 4 for launch of Starlink [17] due to a Range conflict and unfavorable launch and recovery weather 3:53 PM · Mar 2, 2021
- Bendecko
Launch time (and alternates) has been set:
SpaceX is targeting 3:24 a.m. EST on Thursday, March 4 for launch of 60 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If needed, there are backup opportunities available at 5:42 a.m. EST on Thursday, March 4, as well as 3:03 a.m. EST and 5:21 a.m. EST on Friday, March 5.
The above is from the live launch stream page, which I have embedded once again:
The stream should go live 15 to 20 min before the instantaneous launch window, despite what is indicated by YouTube.
After delay after delay after delay, Starlink 17 is finally now a mission accomplished. Unfortunately, it was not a good one to watch in the flesh. The overnight sky was overcast (technically a high fog layer) so I couldn't see it from my home, although it did help to amplify the rumble that came minutes later.
Another bummer was that for some reason they didn't have any footage from the first stage booster. Not that it would have given any nice view given the dark sky and the coast and sea being obscured by the fog. And while they intended to have drone ship coverage of the booster landing on it, the feed cut-off right before it happened (although the landing was successful, unlike the previous Starlink mission).
Unfortunately, the sixth time wasn't the charm for the booster used on this mission. It was lost during it's landing attempt. Actually, from the video (use the last embed/link above for a complete replay of the mission), it appears that the booster completely missed the drone ship and wound-up entirely in the drink. - Bendecko
Recently, during a March 1st news conference for the upcoming SpaceX Crew-2 mission*, Benji Reed (Senior Director of Human Spaceflight Programs) provided an update on why it happened: A boot for one of the Merlin rocket engines (a parts life leader) developed a hole and sent hot gas to "where it wasn't supposed to be." As a safety measure, the engine automatically shut down during first-stage flight, thus leaving insufficient thrust to return to the drone ship for a successful landing. SpaceX is continuing its investigation on why the boot failed and how to make improvements to these kinds of parts to make them last longer. Here is the relevant portion of Reed's interview:
This tweet thread makes a salient point about there being finite/limited redundancy of the multiple engine-out capability of the Falcon 9 rocket. That by design, it's primarily acceptable mainly to provide successful ascent capability, but not so much for successful landing. Again, that's by design. For human flight, an unsuccessful landing of the first stage booster is not critical to the safety of the mission. Whereas engines performing nominally within their operating parameters, and being safely shut down when they don't because they are a threat to the entire launch vehicle, is the upmost concern for safety of the crew. *: The SpaceX Crew-2 mission, using the Crew Dragon Endeavour (C206) aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1061.2), is currently scheduled to launch on April 22nd 2021 at 6:11am EDT (1011hrs z) from LC-39A (Kennedy Space Center).
Starlink V1.0 L20: Thursday 11 MAR 2021 at 3:13am EST (0813hrs z)
from SLC-40 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station). - Bendecko
And another awesome nighttime launch. The temperature was cool so the sky was absolutely clear. I could easily spot the orange glow of the upper stage's Merlin Vacuum engine by naked eye all the way to the horizon—I usually need a pair of binoculars to track it when it gets low in the northeast sky because of the haze from the Atlantic Ocean, but tonight it stood out on its own. I still used the binos to get a close-up look, and it was spectacular that all the stars that are too dim to see with the naked eye provided a magnificent backdrop when I was looking through them.
B1058.6, the first stage booster, had a successful landing on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions (as confirmed below). This is the sixth successful use of this booster (hence the ".6" suffix to its serial number), and it notable that it has previously launched the Crew Dragon Endeavour (C206) for the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission in May 2020 on the way to the ISS. Demo-2 was the first launch in the US with crew on board since the Space Shuttle was retired. It also lifted the Cargo Dragon C208 for the CRS-21 mission back in December 2020 to send supplies to the ISS.
First stage safe and secure aboard the drone ship:
(source tweet) Next up is Starlink L21 using a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket (1st stage booster s/n not yet published). Time/Date Details:
Starlink V1.0 L21: Sunday 14 MAR 2021 at 5:44am EDT (0944hrs z).
From: LC-39A (Kennedy Space Center).
The live launch link will be published when available.
Don't forget to set your clocks one hour ahead for Daylight Savings Time before watching the launch, or you'll be an hour too late!
Starlink V1.0 L21: Sunday 14 MAR 2021 at 6:01am EDT (1001hrs z).
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5 (on First Stage Booster # B1051.9).
From: LC-39A (Kennedy Space Center).
Because the clock is moved ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time, this will still be a night launch. In regards to weather, it's a 90% go, with only the Cumulus Cloud rule in effect (typically none are expected at this time of day during this time of year).
···
Please note that this will be the ninth launch attempt for the B1051 1st stage booster (hence the ".9" suffix). "On 20 January 2021, B1051 became the first booster to have launched and landed successfully eight times and, as of 4 March 2021, is tied with B1049 as the current fleet leader."(source)
Starlink V1.0 L21: Sunday 14 MAR 2021 at 6:01am EDT (1001hrs z).
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5 (on First Stage Booster # B1051.9).
From: LC-39A (Kennedy Space Center).
···
Please note that this will be the ninth launch attempt for the B1051 1st stage booster (hence the ".9" suffix). "On 20 January 2021, B1051 became the first booster to have launched and landed successfully eight times and, as of 4 March 2021, is tied with B1049 as the current fleet leader."(source) - Bendecko
Yet another successful launch and a history making landing yesterday morning on 𝜋-day (3/14/21)!
My view was exactly like it was for the previous launch: Complete tracking from launch to horizon with the naked eye, and magnificent to watch through the binoculars. And as the second stage traversed the upper reaches of the atmosphere, the exhaust plume spread out beautifully. But not as spectacular as the people of North Carolina got to see:
Here in Florida, we'd only get to see something like that if the launch was much closer to dawn. I recall it happening once with SpaceX where I live now (I believe it was Starlink), and I wish I decided to take my good camera out for shots. Note that most Starlink launches travel on a NE trajectory, almost paralleling the East Coast of the US. So if you live along the Eastern Seaboard, it's a good idea to keep track of the launches just for sights like the above.
The other news is that First Stage Booster B1051.9 made a successful landing on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship. With nine uses, it's now the life leader for the current Falcon 9 booster fleet.
SpaceX released a couple more images from the launch. Here is a nice shot of the 1st stage's Merlin engines lighting up their own exhaust plume:
And here's an awesome time lapse with the flame from the 1st stage showing the Falcon 9's flight path—in the sky and reflected on the water:
Next up is another Starlink early next week (this coming Sunday night):
Starlink V1.0 L22: Sunday 21 MAR 2021 at 12:37am EDT (0437hrs z).
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5.
From: SLC-40 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station).
First Stage Booster #: B1060.6 (Flight #6).
1st Stage Landing Target: Of Course I Still Love You drone ship (Atlantic Ocean).
When the live stream for the launch becomes available in the coming days, it will be posted here.
noice pics indeed and it's a time-lapse camera, as I thought - Pat1993
back at ya!
I don't think they make rockets (yet) that can curve their exhaust like that (not to mention make it so
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I don't think they make rockets (yet) that can curve their exhaust like that (not to mention make it so
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ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong) - Bendecko
Next up is another Starlink (V1.0 L22) early next week (this coming Sunday night) - Bendecko
The Starlink L22 mission has been delayed. The new date and time is listed below:
Starlink V1.0 L22: Wednesday 24 MAR 2021 at 4:58am EDT (0858hrs z).
From: SLC-40 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station).
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5.
First Stage Booster #: B1060.6 (Flight #6).
1st Stage Landing Target: Of Course I Still Love You drone ship (Atlantic Ocean).
When the live stream for the launch becomes available in the coming days, it will be posted here.
The Starlink L22 mission launch time tomorrow early morning has been tweaked by being set a half-hour earlier. The new date and time is listed below:
Starlink V1.0 L22: Wednesday 24 MAR 2021 at 4:28am EDT (0828hrs z).
From: SLC-40 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station).
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5.
First Stage Booster #: B1060.6 (Flight #6).
1st Stage Landing Target: Of Course I Still Love You drone ship (Atlantic Ocean).
Starlink V1.0 L22: Wednesday 24 MAR 2021 at 4:28am EDT (0828hrs z).
From: SLC-40 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station).
Launch Vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5.
First Stage Booster #: B1060.6 (Flight #6).
1st Stage Landing Target: Of Course I Still Love You drone ship (Atlantic Ocean). - Bendecko
Another great launch in the books. We had some thin cloud cover so it wasn't as nice as the previous two launches, but I could still track the upper stage from it's firing all the way to the NE horizon. And when they're not to thick, the cloud does really help light-up the 1st stage booster, sort of amplifying of the light like it does help amplify the sound once it reaches us.
For this one, I'm only gonna post the Twitter links for the brief liftoff/deploy videos (for complete coverage of the mission, the above video embed serves as a replay):
There's going to be a short lull in the schedule for almost a month. The next launch at The Cape is the SpaceX Crew-2 mission for NASA to launch the Crew Dragon Endeavor (atop a Falcon 9 rocket), transporting a team of astronauts to the ISS:
The mission has already been twice delayed (30 Mar and 20 APR), so if there are any changes to the above schedule, new updates will be provided as soon as they are announced. If the above date and time doesn't change, then it should be a nice morning launch, timed at the tail-end of astronautical twilight. Thus when the rocket nears orbit, we should get a nice view of the plume from the upper stages Merlin Vacuum engine as it moves into daylight. The booster may also get some time in the early morning light as well. Hopefully there will also be some good video beamed back from the booster, particularly the "down-shot" POV.
In the meantime, I'll be keeping track of the Ingenuity helicopter as the Mars 2020 mission begins its dedicated 30 day test campaign for the demonstrator vehicle. JPL has already selected the testing area, and up to five flights will occur during this time. However, a specific schedule hasn't been announced, and I'm not sure NASA has a specific one mapped-out, as each flight is dependent on the results of the previous flight. I do think they will announce the flights shortly before each one occurs. Let's hope they do it with at least a day or two to spare.
There's going to be a short lull in the schedule for almost a month. The next launch at The Cape is the SpaceX Crew-2 mission for NASA to launch the Crew Dragon Endeavor (atop a Falcon 9 rocket), transporting a team of astronauts to the ISS - Bendecko
Now another Starlink launch has been moved up and is scheduled for later today. This will be a mid-day (noon-hour) launch, so the string of launches during the nighttime is broken. Hopefully this will mean good views from the cameras on the rocket, especially looking back down towards the Earth.
SpaceX Starlink V1.0 L23:
Wednesday 07 APR 2021 at 12:34pm EDT (1634hrs z).
From:
SLC-40 (Cape Canaveral Space Force Station).
Launch Vehicle:
Falcon 9 Block 5.
First Stage Booster #:
B1058.7 (Flight #7).
1st Stage Landing Target:
ASDS Of Course I Still Love You, (Atlantic Ocean).
In the meantime, I'll be keeping track of the Ingenuity helicopter as the Mars 2020 mission begins its dedicated 30 day test campaign for the demonstrator vehicle. JPL has already selected the testing area, and up to five flights will occur during this time. However, a specific schedule hasn't been announced, and I'm not sure NASA has a specific one mapped-out, as each flight is dependent on the results of the previous flight. I do think they will announce the flights shortly before each one occurs. Let's hope they do it with at least a day or two to spare. - Bendecko
No flight yet but recently Ingenuity has been deployed by Perseverance and has checked-out OK after a couple of nights on the Martian ground on its own:
Below is some new ground tracking footage recently released by SpaceX of the CSG2 launch that happened on the Monday before last (1/31/22) at dusk. It looks like this is a new camera set-up that they had for the mission, because I don't recall them using this before on any of their launch broadcasts.
The video begins right before MECO and stage separation, and right after separation, you can see that the first stage booster begins its boostback maneuver to return to the cape (rather than landing on a drone ship at sea) as it falls out of view with the camera now keeping track of the second stage. There's not much else to watch save right near the end, when it shows the fairing halves separating and falling away:
This next vid shows a different tracking from the ground of the same launch, by another group (not SpaceX). Instead of following the second stage, the first stage booster is tracked. In the video, liftoff is shown around 1:20. The video shows the complete first stage booster return, including the boostback burn, three times. My guess is that they had 3 cameras running on the same tracking mount. For those who don't want to watch the entire 25 min video, the times for MECO (boostback initiation immediately following) are: 3:38, 13:42, and 19:57:
Lastly here is the video for SpaceX's original live broadcast of the launch for comparison to the above videos (because it shows other cameras covering the launch, both onboard and from the ground):
and it's a time-lapse camera, as I thought 
