SpaceX Set To Launch Booster on a Record Breaking 13th Flight!

On June 17, 2022, SpaceX will be attempting to launch their Falcon 9 rocket with Starlink Group 4-19. This launch will fly out of Kennedy Space Center's, Launch Complex 39A. Launch is set for June 17, 2022 at 12:08PM Eastern Daylight Time. This mission is flying to a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is a very common orbit for spacecraft to fly in to.

Starlink is a high-speed communication satellite constellation designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Starlink now has access coverage to over 33 countries, and once complete, aims to provide internet coverage to the entire globe. As of writing this article, SpaceX has launched 2,400 satellites into either a low earth orbit (LEO) or a sun synchronous orbit (SSO). SpaceX aims to launch up to 32,000 starlink satellites to orbit in the future, to add on to the 12,000 satellites currently approved by the FCC.

Recently, astronomers have raised concerns about the satellites, and how they will effect ground-based astronomy. This issue has been fixed, by SpaceX aiming the satellites to a correct orientation, so the light is viewed dim from the ground. However, space enthusiasts, have gotten annoyed as this makes it harder for them to spot the famous "Starlink Train" shooting across the night sky.

Starlink Train Photographed From The Ground!

Lets get back to the launch though. As I said, the launch will be taking place onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which will launch from Kennedy Space Center's, Launch Complex 39A. The Falcon 9 is a two stage, partially re-usable launch vehicle which can carry payloads to GTO (Geostationary Transfer Orbit), SSO (Sun Synchronous Orbit), LEO (Low Earth Orbit), and beyond!

The first stage of Falcon 9, is the bottom 70% of the vehicle. Sometimes it looks to be a greyish color, as it has been flown on many missions prior to the one its currently flying. The reason it gets its greyish color, is because when it re-enters earth's atmosphere, there is atmospheric heating, due to friction. This creates soot, and the soot sticks to the booster. That is why some boosters have a grey look. The first stage is powered by nine Merlin 1D engines, which are placed into a cluster for redundancy, a

nd for gimbaling stability. The first stage also contains of grid fins (which help it steer through the atmosphere on descent), landing legs (which help it land safely on the ground), and an interstage. The interstage helps it connect and separate from the second stage of the rocket.

Falcon 9's second stage is small compared to the first stage, as it only takes up around 15% of the launch vehicle. The second stage is always brand new for each mission, as it is expended. The stage is powered by a single M-Vac (Merlin 1D Vacuum) engine.

The record breaking part of this mission is the booster. So far, SpaceX has two boosters that have flown twelve flights, but that is the record. But not for long, on June 17, 2022, SpaceX will break the world record for the times a single booster has been flown!