As of today, March 14 at 12:01 Kyiv time, SpaceX is planning a record launch of the Falcon 9 rocket into space: its first reusable stage will go on its ninth flight. Location – Site SLC-39A at Cape Canaveral, launch window is instant.
The next batch of 60 Internet satellites of the Starlink project – already the 21st – will be launched into orbit.
The B1051 stage has previously flown in eight missions. After ~ 8.5 minutes after the start, it should gently lower onto the platform barge Of Course I Still Love You in the Atlantic Ocean 633 km from the launch site.
SpaceX’s naval ships will catch the fairing flaps 707 km from the launch site. They were previously used on the Transporter-1 mission rocket.
Watch the video: Starship successfully flew back and forth. But then it exploded anyway
Preflight activity at the launch pad in the last hour before the start:
- At 11:23 am, 38 minutes before the launch, the launch director will give (or not) the go-ahead to load fuel and oxidizer into the rocket. If the decision is positive, kerosene (RP-1) and, at the same time, liquid oxygen (LOX) in the first stage will start filling the tanks within three minutes;
- At 11:45, 16 minutes before the start, LOX will also enter the tanks of the second stage;
- At 11:54, 7 minutes before the start, the engines will begin to gradually cool down to avoid their failure in the event of a sharp inflow of supercooled fuel vapor (LOX is supplied at refueling with a temperature of almost minus 207 ° C, RP-1 – minus 6.6 ° FROM);
- At 12:00, 60 seconds before launch, the rocket goes into “autonomous” mode: on-board computers carry out final checks. At the same time, the process of increasing the pressure in the fuel tanks begins;
- 45 seconds before the start, the launch director says a final yes or no;
- The ignition process begins 3 seconds before the start;
- Exactly at 12:01 – take off.
The height of the Falcon 9 rocket is about 70 m, the diameter of the steps is 3.66 m, the nose cone is 5.3 m; weight without fuel ~ 29 t, with full filling up to 549 t. The first stage is equipped with nine Merlin 1D engines, the second – with one Merlin 1D Vacuum. More details here.
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