Elon Musk on Twitter: Slight booster length increase to 70m, so 120m for whole system. Liftoff mass ~5000 mT.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1239598329274798085

Submitted March 16, 2020 at 06:09PM by ReKt1971
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SpaceX on Twitter: Targeting Wednesday, March 18 at 8:16 a.m. EDT, 12:16 UTC, for Falcon 9's launch of Starlink from LC-39A in Florida
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1239619931856982020

Submitted March 16, 2020 at 07:32PM by ReKt1971
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Intelsat Selects SpaceX to Launch Intelsat 40e Satellite
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Submitted March 17, 2020 at 01:09PM by what-s-up
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@ElonMusk [Starship]: "Design is evolving rapidly. Would be great to flatten domes, embed engines & add ~1.5 barrel sections of propellant for same total length. Also, current legs are a bit too small."
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1239783440704208896

Submitted March 17, 2020 at 03:53PM by RegularRandomZ
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The Low Earth Orbit Satellite Population and Impacts of the SpaceX StarlinkConstellation
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Submitted March 17, 2020 at 03:41PM by fragglerock
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Falcon 9 breaks the sound barrier on its way to space with the sixth batch of 60 Starlink satellites.
https://ift.tt/3b5F7fF

Submitted March 18, 2020 at 01:37PM by johnkphotos
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Elon Musk on Twitter: "Yeah. There was also an early engine shutdown on ascent, but it didn’t affect orbit insertion. Shows value of having 9 engines! Thorough investigation needed before next mission."
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1240262636547100672?s=19

Submitted March 18, 2020 at 02:14PM by soldato_fantasma
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Rockets and planes not keeping social distance
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Submitted March 18, 2020 at 02:58PM by stevenmadow
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<b>Starlink-6 (v1.0 L5) Recovery Discussion and Updates Thread</b>
Hello! it is <a href="/u/RocketLover0119">u/RocketLover0119</a> back at it hosting the recovery thread for the launch of the 5th batch of operational Starlink satellites! Below is info on the mission, info on the core/fairing, updates, and more!About Starlink" SpaceX is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy the world's most advanced broadband internet system. With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet and a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable. Each Starlink satellite weights approximately 260 kg and features a compact, flat-panel design that minimizes volume, allowing for a dense launch stack to take full advantage of Falcon 9’s launch capabilities. With four powerful phased array and two parabolic antennas on each satellite, an enormous amount of throughput can be placed and redirected in a short time, for an order of magnitude lower cost than traditional satellite-based internet. Starlink satellites are on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation, meeting or exceeding all regulatory and industry standards. At end of their life cycle, the satellites will utilize their on-board propulsion system to deorbit over the course of a few months. In the unlikely event their propulsion system becomes inoperable, the satellites will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere within 1-5 years, significantly less than the hundreds or thousands of years required at higher altitudes. Further, Starlink components are designed for full demisability. Starlink is targeting service in the Northern U.S. and Canada in 2020, rapidly expanding to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021. Additional information on the system can be found at starlink.com. "-Starlink Press KitFleet<em>Ship</em><em>Role</em><em>Status</em>Of Course I Still Love You1 of 2 east coast autonomous spaceport droneship's (ASDS)Out at Sea, no core on deckHawkOCISLY Tug BoatOut at SeaGO QuestOCISLY Support ShipOut at SeaGO Ms. Tree1 of 2 fairing catchersOut at Sea, fairing halve loaded onto deck, did not catchGO Ms. Chief1 of 2 fairing catchersOut at Sea, fairing halve loaded onto deck, did not catchCore B1048.5The core utilized in this mission is core 48. This core completed a historic first for SpaceX, which is launching and landing a core for the 5th time. Previously, this core flew on the Iridium-7, SAOCOM-1A, Nusantara Satu, and the 2nd launch of Starlink missions. Unfortunately, during this mission core 48 failed to land. According to Musk, an engine turned off (some speculate an engine went boom, similar to CRS-1). The core had a good ascent until the anomaly, separated stages, deployed fins, and completed what appears to have been a 2 engine entry burn (speculation). Beyond that, it seems it didn't even light for landing, and smashed into the ocean at terminal speed. RIP B1048.FairingIn this mission, the fairings are flight-proven. These 2 halves both previously supported the first launch of Starlink in May of last year, with these halves being fished from the sea by GO Navigator and GO Searcher. This is only the second time SpaceX has utilized previously flown fairings, with high hopes of continuing to recover and reuse other halves. The 2 halves were not caught, but were, however, retrieved from the ocean by Ms. tree and Ms. Chief.Updates&#8203;18th March 2020, 15:30Thread goes live!&#8203;Resources<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/fhymy3/rspacex_starlink_5_official_launch_discussion/">r/SpaceX Starlink-6 Launch Discussion and Updates Thread</a><a href="https://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/sixth_starlink_mission_overview_0.pdf">Starlink-6 Press Kit</a><a href="https://youtu.be/I4sMhHbHYXM">Starlink-6 Webcast</a><a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet">SpaceXFleet…

“That’s a minefield of shrubbery!” Falcon 9 lifts off with the 6th batch of Starlink.
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Submitted March 18, 2020 at 05:20PM by Space_Coast_Steve
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Watching from a serene piece of shoreline along the Banana River, B1048 ascends one last time. Adding 60 more Starlink satellites to the constellation.
https://ift.tt/2QrWEXy

Submitted March 18, 2020 at 06:10PM by johnpisaniphotos
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Starlink V1 L5 soars through the early morning sky
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Submitted March 18, 2020 at 09:01PM by spiel2001
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SpaceX on Twitter: SpaceX and @NASA are targeting no earlier than mid-to-late May for Crew Dragon’s launch with two @NASA_Astronauts on board
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1240414357952983040

Submitted March 19, 2020 at 12:08AM by ReKt1971
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Boca Chica residents take Elon Musk’s money, make way for SpaceX launches from Texas
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Submitted March 19, 2020 at 08:13PM by mspisars
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OC - Starlink 3 and Starlink 5 side by side. Amateur video investigation into Starlink 5 main engine anomaly.
https://youtu.be/am8MyrOyODs

Submitted March 20, 2020 at 01:54AM by NoSkillBadLuck
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SpaceX got their FCC license for the user terminals in the US.
https://ift.tt/399l52u

Submitted March 20, 2020 at 11:26AM by ReKt1971
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<b>Speculation: SpaceX Part in NASA's Plan for Lunar Settlement</b>
NASA has long-harbored ambitions for a lunar outpost, dating back to the Apollo era. Unfortunately any hope for such a lunar settlement has foundered due to the extraordinary cost – until now. It has been reported NASA would like to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/nasas-full-artemis-plan-revealed-37-launches-and-a-lunar-outpost/">build such an outpost in tandem with the LOP-G space station</a>, using a combination of commercial and SLS vehicles.“This decade-long plan, which entails 37 launches of private and NASA rockets, as well as a mix of robotic and human landers, culminates with a <strong>'Lunar Surface Asset Deployment'</strong> in 2028, likely the beginning of a surface outpost for long-duration crew stays. Developed by the agency's senior human spaceflight manager, Bill Gerstenmaier, this plan is everything Pence asked for—an urgent human return, a Moon base, a mix of existing and new contractors.”More recently, this goal of lunar settlement was confirmed in <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/nasa_fy_2020_budget_amendment_summary.pdf">NASA’s 2020 budget amendment summary</a>: -“To achieve our goals, we will not go forward alone. Strong commercial partnerships will accelerate our human exploration plans. International partners also remain a vital part of our lunar plan and will contribute to the goal of creating a <strong>sustained lunar presence by 2028.</strong>“Any lunar settlement would require significant amounts of payload to be delivered at a reliable rate and cost. This would likely require either SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy or Starship launch vehicles due to their Super Heavy Lift capabilities and partial/full reuse. For example, Falcon Heavy can deliver ~20mt to low lunar orbit while Starship could land a truly herculean 100mt on the lunar surface, plus vehicle return and reuse!After SpaceX were awarded a contract to study in-space refuelling, <a href="https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2019/10/12/nasa-shows-interest-spacexs-starship-orbital-refueling-ambitions/3957775002/">NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine appeared to confirm their reliance on a more commercial approach</a>: -“Starship is a really big vehicle. Being able to refuel it will be necessary to become a vehicle that can get to the moon. SpaceX can use it for their reasons and we can use it for our reasons."Overall, it seems likely <a href="https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/11/19/spacex-offering-starship-to-nasa-for-lunar-landing-missions/">NASA will soon make Starship part of their CLPS Program</a>, which awards contracts to develop a lunar delivery service.“For CLPS, we offered the Starship and Super Heavy launch capability,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer. “That capability far exceeds the mass that CLPS was looking for [>10kg], but we think that brings pretty extraordinary capability to NASA, both for the CLPS program and others. We can bring about 100 metric tons to the moon, and certainly return more.”Of course there are a few more technical problems associated with landing such enormous payload on the moon, like regolith thrown up by the powerful exhaust could possibly damage the vehicle. Fortunately NASA has also agreed to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-us-industry-partnerships-to-advance-moon-mars-technology">collaborate with SpaceX to ameliorate this problem</a>, under a Space Act Agreement: -"SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, will work with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to advance their technology to vertically land large rockets on the Moon. This includes advancing models to assess engine plume interaction with lunar regolith."Overall, considering NASA’s desire to harness Starship for lunar landings, their plan for lunar settlement seems quite advanced. Hopefully there should be little delay before we hear further details; no doubt after congress…

Childcare Workers At SpaceX Are Afraid Of Coronavirus Spreading As Elon Musk Forces Them To Stay Open
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Submitted March 20, 2020 at 09:31PM by flufferbot01
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3D Model of Starship Assembly at Boca Chica
Hi, i created a short video and a 3D model (integrated in an online viewer) of the Starship Assembly at Boca Chica. Will try to keep it updated as often as every 7 days or so ..Video: https://youtu.be/V_035KKiBwUViewer: https://p3d.in/4j9PgLet me know, if you like it.[Bonus: 2 pictures with ground-plan maps i'm using to create a (almost) exact model of the current state]https://preview.redd.it/erffua1971o41.jpg?width=1323&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=995ca5fa6fd6833adb961f68fa16c59f3df78e35

Submitted March 21, 2020 at 02:56PM by AlexRex-de
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Why SpaceX desperately needs a government bailout…
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Submitted March 22, 2020 at 12:16AM by lib8023
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NASA reps from Commercial Crew program join @SpaceX investigation into premature shutdown of one of the 9 Merlin engines on the Falcon 9 that launched 3/18 on Starlink-6 mission.
https://twitter.com/Free_Space/status/1242447475459395584

Submitted March 24, 2020 at 03:30PM by soldato_fantasma
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