SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites on Another 11th Flown Booster: Photos

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites on Another 11th Flown Booster: Photos
SpaceX Falcon 9 roars aloft on a beautiful morning as seen over the Kennedy Space Center after lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

For SpaceUpClose.com & RocketSTEM

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL –  SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink high speed internet satellites to low Earth orbit on Thursday morning, Mar. 3, while flying once again on a once rare southeasterly  trajectory from Florida’s Spaceport and while using only the third ever reused Falcon 9 booster to launch 11 times!

Furthermore SpaceX landed the first stage booster for an 11th time as well.

Thursdays launch also counts as SpaceX’s 9th Falcon 9 launch in the first 9 weeks of 2022 – continuing a blistering pace of one a week and keeps SpaceX on track to potentially reach their incredible goal of about 50 launches total in 2022. Significantly more than the record breaking 31 launches achieved in 2021.

Launch of the 229 foot tall (70 meter) two stage Falcon 9 took place Thursday, Mar. 3 at 9:25 a.m. EST (1425 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying a payload of 47 Starlink broad band high speed internet satellites to low Earth orbit on the Starlink 4-9 mission – during an instantaneous launch window.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

This was also the 2nd launch in 3 days from the Florida Space Coast following the ULA Atlas V GOES-T advanced weather satellite launch for NASA and NOAA on Tuesday, March 1.

The cluster of 9 Merlin 1D first stage engines generated 1.7 million pounds of liftoff thrust upon ignition fueled by LOX and RP-1 propellants.

The rocket flew on a southern trajectory along Florida’s eastern coast over the Atlantic Ocean and may have been visible from cities like Miami and Fort Lauderdale given the crystal clear skies.

30 second Wide Angle Sun Flare Drenched Daylight Streak: Pastel like SpaceX launch of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission on southeast trajectory into the full sun glares on 11x flown Falcon 9 booster B1060.11 on Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the Just Read the Instructions (JRTI) ocean going droneship some eight and a half minutes after launch – which was prepositioned in the Atlantic Ocean near the Bahamas.

SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage lands on ‘Just Read the Instructions’ droneship. Credit: SpaceX

 

Enjoy our launch photos of the Starlink 4-9 mission taken by Ken Kremer and Jean Wright for Space UpClose

SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off at 9:25 a.m. EST on Mar. 3, 32022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 47 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Starlink 4-9 mission. View from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Jean Wright/spaceupclose.com

The Falcon 9 first stage booster designated as tail number B1060 has now flown to space and back eleven times – and is only the third booster to achieve that record.

B1060.11 is now likely to be refurbished and reflown at some point for an eleventh time.

SpaceX Falcon 9 streaks across the sky after blast off at 9:25 a.m. EST on Mar. 3, 32022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 47 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Starlink 4-9 mission. View from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Jean Wright/spaceupclose.com

The first stage booster B1060.11 supporting this mission previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat-5A, Transporter 2, and seven Starlink missions.

That first B1060 launch of the GPS III-3 mission took place in June 2020, just under two  years ago.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

This Starlink 4-9 mission also counts as the 6th SpaceX Starlink mission of 2022.

SpaceX Falcon 9 roars aloft on a beautiful morning as seen over the Kennedy Space Center after lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

The 47 flat-paneled and flat packed Starlink satellites were released from the upper stage at T+1 hour 5 minutes, 47 seconds at an inclination of 53.2 degrees to the equator and a near circular orbit at an altitude of about 200 miles (320 kilometers).

However the live SpaceX webcast ended before the deployment, so confirmation by SpaceX didn’t come until a tweet later.

The roughly quarter ton solar powered Starlink satellites will use their krypton fueled ion thrusters to reach their operational altitude of about 335 miles (540 kilometers).

The payload comprises 47 upgraded Starlink internet communications satellites manufactured by SpaceX in their Redmond, Washington production facility – enlarging the existing and burgeoning broadband constellation to over 2200 launched thus far.

30 second Daylight Lightsaber Streak: SpaceX launch of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission on southeast trajectory on 11x flown Falcon 9 booster B1060.11 on Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

This Starlink 4-9 mission counts as the 40th Starlink internet satellite mission and raises the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 2,234, including prototypes and test versions.

A running tally is maintained by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell of Harvard.

https://planet4589.org/space/stats/star/starstats.html

Approximately 2016 of them remain in orbit and 1991 are still working and about 1555 are actually operational.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 flew away and aloft on a southerly trajectory heading southeast and just north of the Bahamas at an inclination of 53.2 degrees into the second of five Starlink orbital ‘shells.’

The goal of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is to provide low cost, high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity around the world.

SpaceX is targeting an initial constellation of about 4,400 satellites authorized by the FCC that could grow to literally 30,000 or more over time.

SpaceX Falcon 9 streaks across the sky after blast off at 9:25 a.m. EST on Mar. 3, 32022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 47 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Starlink 4-9 mission. View from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

SpaceX is also working to recover the payload fairing halves supporting this mission using the recovery ship Bob.

The payload fairings for this mission were also recycled. One has now flown three times and the other half has flown four times.

In recent days SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has started Starlink internet service in Ukraine following an urgent request from the Ukrainian government.

 

SpaceX has shipped Starlink internet terminals to Ukraine to restore service destroyed by the horrific, deadly and catastrophic Russian invasion started by Putin

The next SpaceX launch is targeting March 8 with more Starlinks.

SpaceX webcast video:

SpaceX Falcon 9 streaks across the sky after blast off at 9:25 a.m. EST on Mar. 3, 32022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 47 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Starlink 4-9 mission. View from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

The next SpaceX launch is targeting March 8 with more Starlinks.

Watch Ken’s continuing reports about SpaceX  Starlink, SpaceX Crew and Cargo Dragons, Artemis, SLS, Orion and NASA missions, DART,  Lucy Asteroid mission, Blue Origin and Space Tourism, Commercial Crew and Starliner and Crew Dragon and onsite for live reporting of upcoming and recent SpaceX and ULA launches including Crew 1 & 2 & 3, ISS, Solar Orbiter, Mars 2020 Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, NRO spysats and national security missions and more at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
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Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events

Please consider supporting Ken’s work by purchasing his photos and/or donating at Patreon:

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SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off at 9:25 a.m. EST on Mar. 3, 32022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 47 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Starlink 4-9 mission. View from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Jean Wright/spaceupclose.com

 

SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

 

SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

 

SpaceX Falcon 9 lift off Mar. 3, 2022 at 9:25 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a payload of 47 Starlink internet satellites on Starlink 4-9 mission – in this view from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com
SpaceX Falcon 9 streaks across the sky after blast off at 9:25 a.m. EST on Mar. 3, 32022 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 47 Starlink internet satellites to orbit on Starlink 4-9 mission. View from the NASA KSC LC-39A Press Site. Credit: Ken Kremer/spaceupclose.com

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Ken Kremer

Watch for Ken’s continuing onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and more space and mission reports direct from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news. Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics. Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events.

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