A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The first stage of the rocket landing on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions about 8.5 minutes after launch.
Credit: SpaceX
The first stage of the rocket landing on the SpaceX drone ship Just Read the Instructions about 8.5 minutes after launch.
Credit: SpaceX
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TechTranscript
00:00 Falcon nine is in startup.
00:02 And there's that call out.
00:04 The internal flight computers have now taken over the launch countdown.
00:08 Now we're just waiting for the final call from the launch director.
00:12 Starlink 69, go for launch.
00:19 And great news. All systems are go for launch.
00:23 So let's watch as Falcon 9 takes our 22 Starlink satellites into space.
00:29 T minus 30 seconds.
00:32 T minus 15 seconds.
00:47 T minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
00:57 Ignition and liftoff.
01:00 Go Falcon. Go Starlink.
01:03 Vehicle is pitching downrange.
01:11 Stage one propulsion is nominal.
01:15 Stage one propulsion is nominal.
01:17 At T plus 35 seconds into flight, Falcon 9 has successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 from Cape Canaveral, Florida,
01:43 at 117 a.m. Eastern time.
01:45 Nominal power and telemetry.
01:47 Now we are throttling down the engines in preparation for max Q, which is coming up here in about 20 seconds.
01:55 That is the largest amount of external stresses that the vehicle will see on ascent.
02:01 Vehicle is supersonic.
02:05 Max Q.
02:14 And there's that call out that we just passed through, that period of maximum dynamic pressure.
02:21 Now we will throttle these engines back up.
02:24 And seeing some great views of Falcon 9 and those nine Merlin engines lit up there on your screen.
02:33 And back engine chill has started.
02:35 And we do have a few events coming up here back to back.
02:42 That will be MECO, stage separation, SES-1, as well as fairing separation.
02:48 MECO is where we will shut down all nine of those engines that you see lit up right there on your screen.
02:54 And that will help slow the vehicle down in preparation for stage separation.
02:59 Stage 1 will begin to make its way back down to Earth, scheduled to land on just read the instructions today.
03:05 And stage 2 will continue with SES-1, which is second stage engine start 1.
03:10 And we will ignite that MVEC engine on the second stage as it carries the payload to its targeted drop-off orbit.
03:18 And then shortly after, we will have fairing separation.
03:22 And those events are coming up here in just a few seconds.
03:28 Main engine cutoff.
03:30 Stage separation confirmed.
03:34 MVEC ignition.
03:40 And great views there on your screen.
03:46 We just had MECO stage separation.
03:49 And you can see on your right-hand screen that the MVEC engine has ignited.
03:53 The grid fins on your left-hand screen, the grid fins on the first stage are currently deploying.
03:59 Fairing separation confirmed.
04:04 And there you can see on your right-hand screen, those fairing halves deployed from the second stage.
04:11 They're now returning back to Earth.
04:13 And the fairing halves supporting today's mission have flown on previous missions,
04:18 with one flying for its 10th time and the other for its 11th flight.
04:23 We'll be attempting to recover both fairing halves using our recovery vessel, Doug.
04:44 Now what you're seeing on your screen, on the right-hand screen, is a view of the second stage looking at our MVEC engine.
04:50 And on your left-hand screen is a view...
04:53 ...is a view from on Earth looking at the second stage MVEC engine.
05:07 [no audio]
05:10 Designed and manufactured by SpaceX, Starlink is the world's largest satellite Internet constellation.
05:25 Starlink satellites operate in low Earth orbit,
05:28 which enables the delivery of high-speed, low-latency Internet to people living in remote and rural locations around the globe.
05:34 [no audio]
05:37 [no audio]
06:04 As I mentioned previously, today's Starlink mission marks SpaceX's 55th mission just this year, and 254th mission overall.
06:13 Now coming up on the first stage vehicle will be the entry burn.
06:19 That's the first of two burns that will help it prepare for landing today.
06:24 And you're not seeing stage one on your screen, but you are seeing a view of the MVEC engine on the second stage.
06:31 [acquisition of signal, Bermuda]
06:34 Now entry burn is where we will reignite three of the nine M1D engines on the first stage vehicle,
06:46 and that helps slow the vehicle down in preparation for re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.
06:51 After the entry burn concludes,
06:56 the atmosphere will actually help scrub most of the velocity on the vehicle until we start up the landing burn.
07:03 Stage one FTSO is safe.
07:11 Stage one entry burn start up.
07:15 And there you can see on your left-hand screen a view of the first stage and the engines reigniting on the vehicle.
07:23 This is the entry burn that lasts about 20 seconds long.
07:27 Stage one entry burn shutdown.
07:33 Stage two FTSO safe.
07:38 As you can see those engines shut down on your screen.
07:42 The entry burn is now complete.
07:44 Again, the atmosphere will help scrub most of the velocity on the first stage vehicle,
07:49 and then we will ignite just a single E9 engine in preparation for landing,
07:55 which is powerful enough to slow down the vehicle to touchdown on -- just read the instructions tonight.
08:02 Nominal trajectory.
08:05 And that landing burn is coming up here in about a minute.
08:09 Shortly after the vehicle is scheduled to land,
08:17 we will also have SECO one, or second engine cutoff one.
08:21 So you may hear those callouts very closely to each other.
08:27 Stage one transonic.
08:32 And you just heard that callout that stage one is transonic.
08:43 That means that the vehicle is traveling near the speed of sound.
08:47 Again, the landing burn is coming up here in about 15 seconds or so.
08:52 Stage one landing burn.
09:04 And there you can see on your screen that the landing burn has begun.
09:08 So let's watch as Falcon 9 prepares to touchdown on -- just read the instructions.
09:14 Landing leg deploy.
09:19 Stage one landing confirmed.
09:27 And as you just saw that Falcon 9 has touchdown on our drone ship.
09:33 Just read the instructions.
09:35 [ Silence ]
09:43 And vac shutdown.
09:45 [ Silence ]
09:51 And we just had SECO one.
09:53 [ Silence ]
09:59 Stage one on everyone.
10:01 Nominal orbit insertion.
10:03 [ Silence ]
10:05 And there's that callout for good orbit.
10:08 Today's landing marks our 216th overall landing of an orbital class rocket,
10:14 including Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions.
10:17 And with confirmation of successful first stage landing and second engine cutoff,
10:22 that wraps up our coverage for now.
10:24 Be sure to check our social media for confirmation of Starlink deployment.
10:28 Thanks for watching, and we will see you next time.
10:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]