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The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) current resolution to clear SpaceX’s Falcon 9 for a return to all flights paved the best way for a busy week of launches. Earlier than Falcon 9 returned to flying common Starlink missions, although, a Falcon Heavy launch with NASA’s Europa Clipper mission began the week off.
Following Europa Clipper’s launch, SpaceX resumed their common Starlink launches early on Tuesday, Oct. 15, with two extra Starlink launches scheduled for the week. Each missions efficiently launched, whereas a 3rd Starlink mission moved to subsequent week. Over in China, a pair of Chang Zheng launches occurred on Tuesday.
An extra non-Starlink Falcon 9 mission launched towards the tip of this week, whereas an Electron launch from New Zealand has now been pushed outdoors this week.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy | Europa Clipper
The long-awaited Europa Clipper mission, initially scheduled for launch on Oct. 10 earlier than Hurricane Milton shaped and impacted Florida, launched efficiently on Monday, Oct. 14, from Launch Complicated 39A (LC-39A) on the Kennedy House Middle in Florida. Launch occurred at 12:05 PM EDT (16:05 UTC), on the fourth day of a planetary launch window that prolonged via the tip of October.
B1089, the core of the Falcon Heavy car, made its first and solely flight, whereas the facet boosters B1064 and B1065 made their sixth and last flights. The core and the facet boosters had been expended as a consequence of Europa Clipper requiring the entire car’s efficiency to make it to its deliberate trajectory to Jupiter.
B1064 and B1065 flew as a facet booster pair on 5 earlier Falcon Heavy flights. These flights had been the U.S.-44 and USSF-67 missions for the U.S. House Power, the EchoStar 24 (Jupiter 3) telecommunications satellite tv for pc, NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission, and the U.S.-52 mission that carried the X-37B reusable mini-shuttle into house for the OTV-7 mission.
Europa Clipper throughout launch processing. (Credit score: NASA)
The 6,065 kg Europa Clipper was launched right into a trajectory that can take the spacecraft to Mars, the place it would carry out a gravity-assist flyby. After Europa Clipper flies previous Mars in February 2025, the spacecraft can be redirected again to Earth for a flyby in December 2026. If all goes as deliberate, the most important planetary science mission ever launched by NASA will arrive in orbit at Jupiter on April 11, 2030.
As soon as in Jovian orbit, Europa Clipper will conduct as much as 49 flybys of Europa. The icy moon is believed to include an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy floor, and the spacecraft will use 9 devices and Europa Clipper’s communication system to review the moon and its potential for habitability.
Europa Clipper flight was the second Falcon Heavy launch of 2024. This was the Falcon household’s 96th launch of this 12 months, tying 2023’s record-setting cadence with simply over two and a half months to go in 2024.
Falcon Heavy launching Europa Clipper to Jupiter. (Credit score: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 10-10
The primary Starlink launch since Sept. 24 is now within the books after the FAA authorised the return to flight for all Falcon 9 missions. Starlink 10-10 launched efficiently on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 2:10 AM EDT (06:10 UTC) from SLC-40 on the Cape Canaveral House Power Station (CCSFS) in Florida throughout a four-hour-long window.
The launch, utilizing B1080-11, carried 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit. Falcon 9 flew a northeasterly trajectory, and the satellites are in an preliminary 281 by 292 km orbit inclined 53 levels to the equator. The booster landed safely on A Shortfall of Gravitas out within the Atlantic.
B1080 began its flying profession carrying up a Crew Dragon with astronauts for the Axiom-2 mission, and later launched one other Crew Dragon on Axiom-3 as properly. This booster additionally launched the ESA Euclid telescope, the CRS-30 Dragon and the NG-21 Cygnus cargo missions to ISS, the Astra 1P/SES-24 communications satellite tv for pc, and 4 Starlink flights earlier than Starlink 10-10.
This launch was the 97th Falcon household launch of 2024, breaking 2023’s file cadence, and the ninety fifth Falcon 9 launch of the 12 months. Although SpaceX’s authentic goal of 148 Falcon 9 launches for 2024 seems to be to be out of attain, 2023’s file of 91 Falcon 9 launches has been damaged.
Regardless of three “groundings” as a consequence of mission anomalies, together with one launch failure, it appears sure that there can be greater than 100 Falcon 9 flights in 2024. Actually, since Starship Flight 5 efficiently launched and made it to house earlier than the Europa Clipper launched, Starlink 10-10 grew to become the one centesimal house launch — not orbital launch — of 2024 for SpaceX when the Starship take a look at flights are counted.
The @FAANews has authorised the return to flight for Falcon 9! pic.twitter.com/IuQ6uVXSI6
— Adrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) October 11, 2024
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 9-7
This week’s return of Starlink launches noticed a return of Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg House Power Base (VSFB) in California. Starlink 9-7 launched efficiently from House Launch Complicated 4E (SLC-4E) at VSFB on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 1:21 AM PDT (08:21 UTC). Starlink 9-7’s launch window, like Starlink 10-10’s, was 4 hours lengthy.
The booster, B1071-19, landed safely on Of Course I Nonetheless Love You, which was stationed downrange within the Pacific. Falcon 9 launched on a southeasterly trajectory with 20 Starlink v2 Mini satellites, together with 13 with direct to cell (DTC) capabilities. These satellites had been injected into an preliminary 278 by 290 km low-Earth orbit inclined 53 levels to the equator.
As soon as the DTC satellites make it to their operational orbit, they are going to enhance the entire variety of Starlink DTC satellites in orbit to 246. The DTC satellites and the general Starlink system are at the moment getting used to attach components of North Carolina, Florida, and different communities badly broken by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Starlink 9-7 was the 96th Falcon 9 launch and the 98th Falcon household launch of 2024. This was B1071’s twelfth Starlink flight. B1071 additionally flew the NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah 1, SWOT, the Transporter 8 and 9 rideshares, and NROL-146. After Starlink 9-7’s launch, there have been 7,105 Starlink satellites launched, with 6,150 of their operational orbit and 647 having re-entered the Earth’s ambiance.
SpaceX has additionally set new data for the time it took to fly three launches inside a 24 hour interval and 4 in a 48 hour interval. The Falcon Heavy and Starlink missions befell in a span of 16 hours and quarter-hour, and when you add Starlink Flight 5 to the combination, 4 flights had been finished in 43 hours and 56 minutes. The earlier file for 3 flights was set in March of this 12 months, and the earlier file for 4 flights was set in June.
CZ-6A on the pad earlier than launch. (Credit score: CNSA)
CASC Chang Zheng-6A | G60 Polar Group 02
Tuesday, Oct. 15, not solely had two Falcon 9 launches but in addition two Chinese language launches on the manifest as properly. The primary Chinese language launch of the day befell sooner than anticipated at 11:06 UTC from LC-9A on the Taiyuan Satellite tv for pc Launch Middle in China’s Shanxi Province.
A Chang Zheng 6A (CZ-6A) rocket was flying the second batch of 18 G60 low-Earth orbit communication satellites right into a polar orbit. The CZ-6A is a medium-lift rocket with two liquid-fuelled levels (utilizing RP-1 and liquid oxygen) and 4 strap-on strong rocket boosters.
Although all seven CZ-6A launches because the first in 2022 have been profitable, the previous few launches have seen the higher levels disintegrate in orbit after their missions ended. The higher levels are anticipated to expend in Earth’s ambiance after their missions have ended, however the current breakup occasions have raised issues in regards to the quantity of particles being generated by the spacecraft in orbit.
The CZ-6A replaces earlier Chang Zheng household autos that use storable however extremely poisonous hypergolic propellants, just like the CZ-2, CZ-3, and CZ-4 rockets. Different CZ-6 household rockets are additionally in use, and these don’t use strong rocket boosters. That is the sixth CZ-6 household mission of 2024 because the Chinese language program continues its effort to increase its capabilities.
A CZ-4C launching from Jiuquan. (Credit score: China Day by day Information)
CASC Chang Zheng-4C | Gaofen-12 05
The second Chinese language launch of the day used a Chang Zheng 4C (CZ-4C) rocket. Launch occurred on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 23:45 UTC in the midst of a 28 minute launch window from Web site 9401 (SLS-2) on the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Launch Middle in China. Jiuquan, positioned inside the Gobi Desert in Internal Mongolia, is greatest recognized for internet hosting Shenzhou crewed launches but in addition hosts quite a few satellite tv for pc launches from numerous sorts of rockets.
The rocket launched the Gaofen-12 05 distant sensing satellite tv for pc right into a Solar-synchronous orbit. These orbits are sometimes utilized by Earth commentary and reconnaissance satellites in addition to climate and communications satellites that want to watch Earth’s polar areas. Gaofen 12-05, one in a collection of Chinese language civilian distant sensing satellites, is reportedly able to sub-meter decision.
This flight was solely the second launch of a CZ-4C this 12 months, as China works to modernize its fleet of launch autos. The unique Chang Zheng rockets had been derived from liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, however newer rockets have since been designed with spaceflight intentions.
A view of a stack of Starlink satellites together with a Starlink DTC satellite tv for pc on the high. The deployable antenna and its hinge can clearly be seen on this picture. (Credit score: SpaceX)
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 8-19
The third Falcon 9 Starlink launch of the week occurred on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:31 PM EDT (23:31 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS on the finish of a 4 hour launch window that began at 3:31 PM EDT (19:31 UTC). There was a 60 % likelihood of violation for Friday’s launch climate, with liftoff winds as the first concern. The prospect of violation lowered to 40 % for Saturday’s now unneeded backup window, however the cumulus cloud rule was added to the issues together with liftoff winds.
Falcon 9 flew a northeast trajectory and launched a 20 robust batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites, some with DTC capabilities, to low-Earth orbit. Attributable to a relative lack of obtainable satellites, Starlink’s DTC capabilities are nonetheless within the early levels of improvement and solely offered in sure areas. Extra satellites can be wanted for complete worldwide protection.
B1076-17 flew this mission, and landed safely on Simply Learn the Directions. Starlink 8-19 was the 97th Falcon 9 and 99th Falcon household flight of 2024. B1076 flew CRS-26, OneWeb #16, Intelsat40e/TEMPO, O3b MPOWER 5 & 6, Ovzon-3, Eutelsat 36D, Turksat 6A, WorldView Legion 3 & 4, and eight Starlink missions earlier than Starlink 8-19.
Render of a OneWeb first era satellite tv for pc. (Credit score: Eutelsat)
The fourth Falcon 9 launch this week was additionally a non-Starlink mission, and had initially been scheduled for Sept. 29 earlier than the Crew-9 deorbit anomaly the day earlier than. This flight was the fifth mission SpaceX flew for OneWeb because the Eutelsat Group firm continues so as to add on-orbit spare satellites to its constellation.
Launch from SLC-4E at VSFB occurred efficiently on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 10:13 PM PDT (05:13 UTC Sunday, Oct. 20). B1082-7 took a southward trajectory to hold the 20 satellites to a 1200 km altitude polar orbit inclined at 87.9 levels to the Equator. Booster restoration was a secure return to launch website (RTLS) and landing at Touchdown Zone 4.
The OneWeb #20 satellite tv for pc payload simply earlier than it left the manufacturing facility in Florida for California. (Credit score: Eutelsat Group)
The OneWeb satellites, massing 147.7 kg every, are designed to offer excessive velocity broadband entry worldwide. The overall payload mass for this flight was 2954 kg, which left loads of margin for an RTLS restoration. That is necessary as a result of the West Coast drone ship, Of Course I Nonetheless Love You, was recovering the Starlink 9-7 booster to Lengthy Seashore, California.
This flight was the 98th Falcon 9 mission of 2024 and the one centesimal Falcon household mission of the 12 months. This flight thus made the Falcon household the primary household of rockets to fly for 100 instances in a calendar 12 months.
(Lead picture: Falcon 9 launches into the night time. Credit score: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
