A Falcon 9 loaded with Starlink satellites is preparing for launch.
SpaceX
After successfully sending another batch of your Starlink broadband satellites in orbit on Monday night from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX appears to have missed the landing of its first stage Falcon 9 booster for the first time in a year. In the live broadcast of the mission, a flash is seen right next to the droneship at the moment the booster should be landing, although no rocket will ever enter the frame.
SpaceX has yet to confirm the fate of Falcon 9, but it seems very likely that it fell into the ocean. In the process, he appears to have spared three seagulls that were hanging on the airstrip and may never understand how close they came to being grilled.
Falcon 9 itself has had a decent life, completing six successful launches, but only five landings in its career.
The apparent landing in hard water happens almost exactly a year after the same thing happened at the end of a previous Starlink mission on February 17, 2020. All attempts to land in the middle were successful (for Falcon 9, of course. Definitely, not counting Starship test in Texas)
Then SpaceX has just over 24 hours before its next Starlink flight. The 20th batch of satellites is set to take off from the adjacent Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday at 9:55 pm Pacific time (12:55 pm Wednesday, Eastern time).
The company had planned to launch two batches of Florida Starlinks a few hours apart earlier this month, but one of those missions has been delayed. (This release is now scheduled for Tuesday night.)
These launches and the drone landings that follow them are becoming routine for SpaceX, but Musk would like to see the pace of launches increase. The FCC license to Starlink to operate requires that at least 2,212 of its satellites are operational in March next year.
The only sign that something went wrong? A bright glow and some frightened seagulls …
SpaceX
So far, more than 1,000 of the small satellites have been sent into space, but it is unclear how many are currently operational. Regardless, it seems that if SpaceX can make at least two Starlink launches per month, it should be able to achieve its goal.
Only two Starlink missions have been carried out so far in 2021, but the company can quickly pick up speed if it hits both missions this week.
Of course, these releases were known for slipping.
Whenever the next release is imminent, we will incorporate the live stream here. Typically, it goes on the air about ten minutes before launch.
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