The satellite has been improved, the first level is recycled again, and the fairing recovery is still based on “fishing”
Editor’s note: This article comes from WeChat public number “Hang Xiaoyu” (ID: Hang Xiaoyu), author Hang Xiaoyu, original title ” “Star chain” second, the fairing is reused for the first time, the same arrow fourth flight, slightly cut.
[Comprehensive News] Space Exploration Corporation launched the second group of 60 satellites of the “Star Chain” low-orbit broadband constellation at the Canaveral Air Force Station on November 11 at the Canaveral Air Force Station using the Falcon 9-1.2 rocket. , the task code “Star Chain” 1. The rocket took off at 9:56 pm (22:56 Beijing time). The satellite deployment began approximately 61 minutes after the rocket took off. In addition to the “Star Chain” satellite, there are two other highlights of this launch, namely the first reuse of the fairing and the fourth use of the same first-stage rocket.
These satellites launched this time are all separated from the rocket at once, rather than being paired one by one or in pairs as in the usual separation of stars and arrows. In the first batch of 60 “Star Chain” experimental satellite launches on May 23, the rockets were first circulated before the satellites were deployed. The satellites are spread by the momentum of the rotation, and then the respective electric thrusters are activated to climb to the final working track of 550 km.
The satellite flies away from the rocket
The satellites launched in May were first sent to a 440-kilometer-high orbit. The space exploration company said in the news material of this launch that the satellite deployed this time is 280 kilometers high. The company said that before the track is upgraded, company personnel will conduct data audits to ensure that all satellites are working properly. After the test is completed, the satellite will use the on-board ion thruster to advance to the intended orbit.
60 satellites neatly stacked
Based on its September filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the company will establish contact with all 60 satellites in the first week after the satellites are in orbit, and then spend two weeksThe satellite orbits have all been upgraded to 350 kilometers. After the initial test, 20 of the satellites will be further upgraded to 550 km. These satellites will be deployed to an orbital plane covered by the company’s existing mandate. The remaining 40 will stay at a height of 350 km for at least 40 days before climbing to the 550 km working track. These satellites will be deployed to the new orbital surface covered by the company’s application for modification of the operational plan that is still subject to FCC approval.
Space Exploration said that since the last launch in May, the company has carried out design upgrades to maximize the simultaneous use of the Ka and Ku bands, bringing more spectrum capacity to end users. In addition, each satellite component is 100% “destructible” and will be burned quickly in the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of its life, which “beyond all current safety standards”. The satellites launched in May only have Ku-band antennas. At the time, Space Exploration said that the percentage of materials on the star that could be burned in the atmosphere after the mission was over 95%.
Star Chain Satellite Rendering
The new satellites were built at a facility in Redmond, Washington. The 60 satellites launched in May have a single weight of 227 kilograms, and the “Star Chain” project website now claims that the “Star Chain” satellite weighs about 260 kilograms. A total weight of about 15.6 tons also made this launch the largest payload of space exploration company to date. According to the website of the “Star Chain” project, the “Star Chain” satellite adopts a compact flat design to take full advantage of the carrying capacity of the Falcon 9 rocket. Each satellite is equipped with four high-power phased array antennas to quickly deliver and deploy large volumes at an “lower order of magnitude” cost. The wing is equipped with single-wing solar panels to greatly simplify the system; solar cells are standardized and easy to integrate into the manufacturing process. The satellite is equipped with a helium ion electric thruster for orbital lifting, on-orbit maneuvering and end-of-life derailment. Satellites can use data from the US Department of Defense debris tracking system to implement collision avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions with space debris and other spacecraft, reducing human error and making collision avoidance operations more reliable.
The performance and security improvements taken by the newly launched 60 satellites do not include reducing satellite brightness. Space Exploration said the improvement will be introduced on subsequent “star chain” satellites to mitigate the impact on ground-based astronomical observations. When the weather is fine, the astronomical observers may see the newly launched satellites passing by the head like a train at dawn or dusk after the launch, similar to the one in May.The scene that people saw after shooting. The satellite that fired at the beginning was brighter than the brightest star in the sky, but it seemed darker over time and the frequency of occurrence was getting lower and lower. Those “stars” have annoyed many astronomers. They fear that thousands of such satellites will continue to interfere with ground-based astronomical observations.
The Royal Astronomical Society said in June that a large number of broadband satellites to be launched by Space Exploration, Amazon, INet and Telecom Satellites “has challenged ground-based astronomical observations” and will “significantly increase access to stripes without satellites.” The difficulty of the image”, thereby damaging astronomical research. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) said in May that it is working with space exploration companies to “make joint analysis and minimize any potential impact.” According to the NRAO, “These consultations are fruitful and are forming important indicators that can be considered by other similar systems”; “Space Exploration has so far demonstrated the importance of our concerns and support for astronomy”.
Space Exploration said it is actively working with major astronomical groups around the world to ensure that its work is not affected by the “Star Chain” satellite. The company said that engineers and technicians are taking steps to black out the bottom of the satellite to help alleviate the impact on the astronomical community. However, the company said that the satellites launched this time have not yet taken improvements in this regard. The company said it would make orbital adjustments to the “star chain” satellites for extremely sensitive space science observations, if necessary. The company also claims that it can use its next-generation “starship” delivery system to send giant astronomical telescopes into space.
After the launch of the “Star Chain” constellation in May, Space Exploration Corporation revised the “Star Chain” network architecture. The FCC submitted a document to ITU on October 7th, introducing the company’s bold vision of adding 30,000 “star chain” satellites based on nearly 12,000 Ku, Ka and V-band satellites authorized by the FCC. This will bring the total number of satellites in the constellation to 42,000. Authorized satellites will be deployed to different heights and different orbital planes of low-Earth orbit.
The initial “Star Chain” satellite used a track with a height of 550 kilometers and a dip angle of 53 degrees. Space Exploration Corporation filed a request to the FCC in August to allow it to deploy up to 1,584 “star chain” satellites to 72 different orbital planes. The FCC has previously approved its operation of the same number of satellites on 24 orbital planes. According to Space Exploration, this adjustment will allow the Star Chain network to launch broadband services in parts of the United States with fewer satellites and launches than the original solution.
Space Exploration said that the “Star Chain” formation will begin to serve the North America, Canada and similar latitudes as soon as next year. The company said that the “star chain” network will be able to cover all inhabited areas after 24 launches. The company’s president and chief operating officer, Shortwell, said on October 22 that the company is convinced that it will begin to provide wide coverage in the US through the “Star Chain” constellation in mid-2020.With service. She told reporters at a media roundtable that this would require the company to launch 6-8 satellites. She said, “We hope to launch 24 launches by the end of next year.”
Schottwell said that many of the features of the “Star Chain” are being tested by the US Air Force Research Laboratory under a program called “Global Lightning.” Space Exploration acquired a $28 million contract in December to test the different ways in which the military used “starchain” broadband services over the next three years. The company has so far demonstrated the ability to deliver 610 megabits per second of data throughput for the US C-12 twin-engine turboprop in flight.
Service price issues are also being studied. Shortwell said that millions of people in the United States have to pay $80 a month for “crying services.” She did not say that the cost of the “star chain” is higher or lower than $80 per month, but said the company will look to the crowd and the rural areas that are still not online. Outside the United States, space exploration companies are licensing services on a country-by-country basis. Shortwell said: “Every country has its own set of methods.”
Schottwell also said that the company intends to launch a “star chain” satellite equipped with an interplanetary laser link sometime between the middle of next year and the end of the year.
This launch uses a fairing that has been recovered from previous launch missions, opening up the history of re-use of fairings. Space Exploration said the fairing used in the launch was first used when the “Heavy Falcon” rocket launched the “Arab Star” 6A on April 11. In that launch, the two half-covers of the fairing gently fell into the Atlantic Ocean and were subsequently recovered by the recycling vessel. The Falcon 9 and the Heavy Eagle use the same type of clamshell composite fairing. The fairing consisting of two lobes is 13.1 meters high and 5.2 meters in diameter. Each half is equipped with avionics, thrusters and controllable parachutes for a soft landing.
After proving the Falcon boosting landing and multiplexing technology, Space Exploration has seen fairing reuse as the next step in reducing launch costs. Other carriers have thrown the fairing out, but Space Exploration has been seeking recycling for several years to reuse it after renovation. The founder and chief executive of the company, Musk, told reporters last year that the cost of the fairing was around $6 million.
Space Exploration also successfully achieved the first fairing and recycling of the fairing net in another launch of the “Heavy Eagle” in June, and captured a half of the fairing. The giant grid used was above the recycling vessel named Ms. Terry. The company then equipped the second ship, called Ms. Chif, with a fairing recycling facility, which was originally intended to be used for the first time in this launch. However, the company confirmed before the shooting that due to the wind and waves, the two fairing recycling vessels no longer attempted to catch the nets, but the relevant team would once again salvage the two half-masks that fell into the sea. The company’s first executive, Musk, has said that for the recycling and reuse of fairings,Very important, because salty seawater is very corrosive and will increase the amount of renovation work. However, he also used the fairing used in this launch to be picked up from the sea after the launch of the “Heavy Eagle” in April. It is okay to let the fairing “slow for a while” in the sea.
One level again successfully recycled
This launch also uses a first-stage rocket that has been used three times before. It is the first time that the company has participated in the launch of the same Type 5 first-class rocket for the fourth time. This arrow is numbered B1048.4. It has participated in the “next generation 铱” one-shot ten-star launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base on July 25 last year. Argentina was held in Vandenberg on October 8 last year. The Earth observation satellite launch and the Indonesian communications satellite and the Israeli “Genesis” lunar lander launched on February 21 this year in Kajiao. In this launch, the arrow was re-launched using an unmanned barge deployed on the Atlantic. The company’s first-in-command, Musk, has said that the Type 5 arrow is designed to be used 10 times in a “repeated routine” process, and 100 times if “doing proper routine maintenance” is available.
Including the two flights of the “Heavy Eagle”, this is the 11th launch of Space Exploration Corporation this year. This is also the company’s 26th time using the used old arrow to perform the launch mission and the 45th in the orbital launch mission to successfully achieve the first-level booster landing recovery.