NO Elon Musk discussions. Please take those elsewhere and keep any discussion focused solely on SpaceX flights and missions.
With that out of the way.
SpaceX started the year on January 3rd with Transporter 6, launching 144 satellites to a Sun Synchronous Orbit. The mission was completely successful with the first stage returning to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX launched OneWeb Flight 16 a little while ago from CCSFS to a Polar Low Earth Orbit. The first stage returned to CCSFS. The mission was completely successful, deploying all 40 OneWeb satellites. A rather interesting fact is that OneWeb is actually a competitor to Starlink, so essentially SpaceX is now launching its own Starlink satellites AND its competitor’s satellites. OneWeb had previously launched on Soyuz, but suspended that agreement after the invasion of Ukraine.
Late today, a SpaceX launch will go from Vandenberg with a Starlink mission to Polar Low Earth Orbit.
On January 15th, USSF-67 (a classified Space Force mission) was launched from KSC aboard a Falcon Heavy. The mission was completely successful, with the two side boosters returning to CCSFS and the center core booster being deliberately expended. The mission went to Geostationary Earth Orbit.
On January 18th, GPS III-06 launched from CCSFS. The mission was completely successful with a successful drone ship landing. The mission went to Medium Earth Orbit.
On January 19th, Starlink 2-4 launched from Vandenberg. The mission was completely successful with a successful drone ship landing. The mission went to a high inclination Low Earth Orbit.
5 total missions to this point (4 Falcon 9, 1 Falcon Heavy).
Potentially three more January launches, though two are more likely. They need to average slightly over 5 launches a month to break last years record. Right now, that does not seem to be an issue.
This is a very interesting video taken of the Falcon Heavy on January 15th, from Myrtle Beach. Fascinating view of the side boosters peeling off and boosting back.
Note that Falcon Heavy does not come above the horizon until 1:22 of the video.
The final flight of January launched this morning from Vandenberg and was completely successful with a successful drone ship landing of the booster. The mission was D-Orbit’s ION SCV009 Eclectic Elena (rideshare) and Starlink 2-6 (primary payload). The mission went to a high inclination Low Earth Orbit.
SpaceX’s 205th flight overall, and 200th Falcon 9, the other 5 being Falcon Heavy. SpaceX had 7 flights in January, 6 Falcon 9s and 1 Falcon Heavy.
There are potentially 14 total flights lined up for February, all being Falcon 9s. Obviously not all of those will go in February, but SpaceX should easily be able to at least match and possibly exceed this month’s total.
The exact timing differs for every mission, depending on the weight and intended orbit of the payload and on whether the boosters is landing on a drone ship or boosting back and returning to a land landing.
For the mission going tonight in the wee hours of the morning.
The exact times differ from mission to mission, but are fairly close to those given.
So basically, the sped approximately 8 minutes, 44 seconds in real time up to 1 minute, 35 seconds.
But absolutely amazing, nonetheless.
It is impossible to downplay what a game change was made when SpaceX mastered the ability to land the booster.
Not having to manufacture a booster for every mission greatly DECREASES the cost for all customers and greatly increases the launch rate, by divorcing launch capacity from manufacturing capacity.
The last loss of payload was September 3rd, 2016. On what would have been the 29th mission. That was the explosion of the rocket on the launch pad during pre-flight testing, so it technically does not count as a flight failure, though it does as a mission failure.
The last failure in flight was mission 19 on June 28th, 2015, when the vehicle broke up in flight due to overpressure of the second stage LOX tank. That also marks the only COMPLETE failure in flight.
A partial failure occurred on mission 4 on October 8th, 2012. The primary payload made it to the correct orbit, but the secondary payload did not reach its correct orbit.
The last booster landing failure occurred on February 21st, 2021, mission 108, a good 90 launches ago.
SpaceX’s performance is “super incredible” in my book.
Falcon 9 from CCSFS SLC-40 on February 7th, carrying Amazonas Nexus (primary payload) and USSF Pathfinder 2 (rideshare). The mission was successful with a successful booster drone ship landing.
Falcon 9 from CCSFS SLC-40 on February 12th, carrying Starlink Group 5-4. The mission was successful with a successful booster drone ship landing.
The two above launches occurred five days, three hours, and 38 minutes apart, setting a single launch pad turn around record.
The next launch is tentatively scheduled for the 15th from Vandenberg. And there is a potential launch on the 16th from CFSFS to attempt to break the record just set.
Also, a manned launch is coming up on the 26th from KSC 39A.
SpaceX uses a transporter erector to transport the rocket to the pad and then to launch it. The transporter erector, which includes the strongback and clamp arms as well as umbilicals has a significantly longer turn around period. But there are likely three or four transporter erectors serving in rotation, meaning each one would likely have, at a minimum, a three week turn around time.
The launch pad itself is fairly simple. Concrete with a flame trench, water suppression system and onsite RP-1 storage and LOX storage. Cleaning and resetting the various systems is relatively trivial. All the complicated stuff is on the transporter erector.
Space Launch Complex 40 has few amenities. Other than the four lightning towers there are no fixed metallic structures on the pad.
Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg is about the same.
A bit more complicated at KSC-39A, particularly if it is a manned or unmanned Dragon mission. There is a more involved turn around time, due to the presence of the fixed tower, which actually serves no purpose on non-Dragon flights, but still incurs the effects of the launch exhaust. That is why most non-Dragon flights go from SLC-40.
I would note that SpaceX has exercised due care and will not take risks to push the schedule too hard. For example, both upcoming launches today, one in a little while from Vandenberg and the other from CCSFS SLC-40, were delayed to give extra time to examine potential anomalies. SpaceX has frequently postponed launches for potential technical issues.
Like any other company, they don’t want the financial headache of a launch failure. Delaying launches to fix technical issues just makes good business sense.
SpaceX can keep a brisk schedule without sacrificing safety, as they have repeatedly shown.
A Falcon 9 left from SLC-4E at Vandenberg within the last half hour, carrying Starlink 2-5 to a high inclination low earth orbit. The mission was successful and the booster successfully landed on a drone ship.
Got the launch of InmarSat-6 F2 coming up from CCSFS SLC-40 tonight.
A Falcon 9 launched from SLC-40 at CCSFS with InmarSat-6 F2 to geostationary transfer orbit. The mission was successful with a successful booster landing on a drone ship.
OneWeb had previously launched on Soyuz, but suspended that agreement after the invasion of Ukraine.
