The SpaceX Launch Schedule for June is INSANE!!!

SpaceX has had an amazing year so far and the last few weeks have been extraordinary. The pace of their upcoming launch schedule is accelerating at a ridiculous rate.

Currently, just within the month of June, there are four launches scheduled, the first of which was right on the heels of the historic Crew Dragon Demo 2 launch.

Here is what we have to look forward to in the next few weeks.

Sunday May 30, 2020 Crew Dragon-Demo 2 (Originally scheduled for May 27, but that launch scrubbed at T-Minus 17m:00s due to weather constraint violations).

A Falcon 9 successfully launched from Pad 39A and placed the Crew Dragon capsule, carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, into a proper orbit for rendezvous with the International Space Station. The capsule went on to successfully dock with the ISS and the two astronauts joined the ISS crew for an indefinite period of time.

The launch was carried out by Falcon 9 Booster B1058 which, after separating from the 2nd stage, flipped around, re-entered earth's atmosphere, and successfully landed on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS), Of Course I Still Love You. This was the first launch for this booster, as NASA has not yet approved reused boosters for human flight.

Wednesday Jun 3, 2020 Starlink V1 L7

Just four days after the very first manned flight of an orbital private commercial rocket, Another Falcon 9 successfully lifted off from SLC-40. Once again the mission was flawless. Booster B1049 flew for the 5th time and successfully landed on SpaceX's other ASDS, Just Read The Instructions, becoming the first booster to successfully launch and land five times.

The Payload was the 7th operational batch of 60 of the V1 StarLink satellites. These satellites are built and owned by SpaceX, meaning that they are their own launch customer. Once operational, the StarLink will provide high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet from orbit. When complete, the satellite constellation should contain approximately 40,000 satellites, each with an expected useful lifespan of about 5 years. At the end of their life, the satellites will automatically de-orbit themselves and burn up in atmospheric re-entry. The Falcon 9 is capable of launching 60 of these satellites at a time. This payload maxes out both the mass and volume limits of the Falcon 9. The satellites do not have any dispenser but are just stacked on top of each other. Right before deployment, the 2nd stage begins a spin maneuver. Once the satellites are released, the centripetal force caused by the spin disperses them. Over the following few weeks, the satellites use their onboard krypton ion engines to raise their altitude to their operational orbit of about 500km (310 miles).

Friday, June 12, 2020 StarLink V1 L8/SkySat

Even before the last batch of StarLink satellites has ascended to its operational orbit, the next batch will be on its way. In addition to the StarLink satellites, this launch will be carrying 6 SkySat satellites. SkySat is a constellation of Earth-observing imaging satellites. These satellites are SkySat 16 through 21. I have yet to figure out if they will carry a full complement of 60 StarLink satellites to accommodate the SkySat payload or if they figured out how to make it all fit inside the payload fairing.

The SkySat satellites, built by a start-up named SkyBox, provide sub-meter resolution images of Earth, and can even provide High Definition video clips up to 90 seconds in length. The first SkySat was launched in 2013 on a Russian launch vehicle. In 2014, Google purchased SkyBox and the constellation and renamed the company Terra Bella. In 2017, they sold it to another start-up named Planet.



Wednesday, June 24, 2020 StarLink V1 L9 & BlackSky

The massive growth of the StarLink constellation continues at an unbelievable rate. Like StarLink Launch 8, this one is also a "Ride Share" that will include two additional satellites from Spaceflight Industries.

The BlackSky constellation will contain about 60 satellites which provide 1-meter resolution over areas of 4.4km x 6.6km very quickly. Images can be provided on-demand in as little as 90 minutes, providing very recent imagery as needed.

_Tuesday, June 30, 2020 GPSIII SV03

Less than a week after the StarLink L9 launch, a single GPS Block IIIA satellite will be launched. This is the latest block GPS satellites, owned and operated by the US Space Force. The NAVSTAR GPS system was developed originally just for government use but was opened up to commercial use in the 1980s and to all people around the world in 1993. Though the US Space Force still maintains the ability to deny service to certain users at will. Because of this, several other private companies and governments are working on building their own GPS constellations.

The GPS system is passive on the receiving end, meaning that the receivers do not need to transmit any signal for it to work. Cell phones receive their position from the satellites, then report that position through cellular, wifi, or Bluetooth radios as needed.

Currently, the GPS system can provide position data with an accuracy of about 30 cm (12 inches).

Be sure to follow me for more information on each of these and other future missions.

Further reading:
SpaceX
StarLink
Planet
Spaceflight Industries
NAVSTAR GPS