This article is from WeChat public account: Tencent space (ID: qqtaikong) , author: Qiao Hui, from FIG question: Visual China


Beijing time at 11:56 on November 11th, US space exploration technology company (SpaceX) at Cape Canaveral Air Force, Florida The base, using the Falcon 9 carrier rocket, successfully launched the second batch of 60 “Star Chain” (Starlink) satellites into orbit.

This launch, the first-class rocket returned smoothly, and stood firmly on the landing platform in the sea. The satellite entered the parking track and was slowly deployed as planned.

The first level rocket stands firmly on the landing platform in the sea

According to statistics, this is the 45th successful recovery of a Class I rocket after SpaceX launched its mission.

One ​​of the satellites is being separated from the final rocket

It is worth mentioning that This Falcon 9 first-class rocket is already the fourth time to reuse, we will start after the article, please continue to look down.

Star Chain is the “satellite constellation” project that SpaceX is developing to create a low-cost, high-coverage space-based global communications system. SpaceX also plans to sell satellite services to the military and research institutions. The Star Chain network will take more than 10 years to build, with an estimated cost of $10 billion.

Do you still remember that on May 24 this year, SpaceX launched the first 60 “star chain” satellites into space at the same location.

The star-stranded satellite was deployed to a 440-kilometer orbit, and the satellite then climbed to its established height of 550 km on its own. The 60 star-chain satellites were first deployed in lower orbits at a height of 280 kilometers, and then the satellites climbed to 550 kilometers of orbit by their own power.

The satellites of this star chain weigh 260 kilograms each, so the total weight of 60 satellites is 15.6 tons! The Falcon 9 rocket has withstood another test! As can be seen from the outgoing photos, 60 satellites filled the interior of the fairing.


four-hand rocket + used fairing

The first stage rocket used in this launch is the fourth time to reuse! We counted the first three uses: in July 2018, the launch of the comet; in October 2018, a radar observation satellite was launched for Argentina; in February 2019, a fired Indonesian Communication satellites and Israeli lunar landers.

The first two were launched at Vandenberg Air Force Base on the west coast of the United States. SpaceX has launch sites on the west and east coasts of the United States, and if needed, the recovered rockets will be transported long distances between the two locations.

Before launching the recycled fairing

SpaceX doesn’t just want to reduce costs by recycling rockets, they are also eyeing the fairing! The fairing used this time was used in the heavy falcon launch in April this year. It was previously reported that SpaceX sent two recycling vessels to continue to recycle the fairing, but in fact, this launch did not continue to recycle the fairing.

from rocket launch to satellite operations

We know that SpaceX’s core business is rocket launch, But with the step-by-step implementation of the Star Link program, the company will also become one of the largest satellite operators.

Star-studded satellites in the Earth’s orbit (art map)

SpaceX said that after about six launches, it will serve the US and parts of Canada; after about 24 launches, when the number of satellites in orbit reaches 1,440, it will initially provide Internet access worldwide.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorized SpaceX to launch 12,000 satellites using the Ku, Ka, and V bands.

The orbital resources of more than 10,000 satellites are hard to come by, and it is the result of multiple applications by SpaceX and FCC. The layout of the satellite has been adjusted several times. According to the latest news: there are about 7,500 satellites operating in 340 km orbit; about 1,600 satellites are operating in 550 km orbit; about 2,800 satellites are operating at 1,150 km. On the track. Among them, the satellites on the 340-kilometer orbit are in the V-band.The communication, the 550 km altitude and the 1150 km altitude of the satellites used in the Ku and Ka bands.

It is reported that SpaceX may also add 30,000 satellites to the star chain. If it is fully realized, the total number of satellites in the star chain will reach 42,000.

Impact on astronomical observations

Do you still remember the first star-shaped satellites like a train that traversed through space? Although it looks shocking, it is a disaster for astronomical observations. It is conceivable that in the future, tens of thousands of satellites will shine in space, which will definitely have a great impact on astronomical observations.

This is the first batch of “Star Chain” satellite trains launched by SpaceX on May 24 this year.

In this regard, the Royal Astronomical Society has already protested! SpaceX has promised to reduce the satellite’s reflectivity in the future to reduce light pollution, but this time 60 satellites still have no special modifications.

In addition to interference with ground-based optical telescopes, it also has an impact on radio astronomy. In this regard, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is also in contact with SpaceX to discuss countermeasures.

Perhaps, future SpaceX is a more active solution for launching more space telescopes for astronomers using heavy rockets.

Intense market competition

We know that the “satellite constellation” has been very popular in recent years, and it is also the high-frequency vocabulary of “telling stories” by various satellite companies.

The UK-based OneWeb satellite company is a very strong competitor to SpaceX. The company has proposed a similar satellite deployment blueprint with SpaceX. On February 28, 2019, OneWeb has used Russian alliance rockets to put six satellites into orbit. The number of satellites planned to be deployed is 650.

On February 28, 2019, OneWeb has used Russian Union Rockets to put six satellites into orbit.

In 2015, Samsung also proposed a satellite constellation communication network plan consisting of 4,600 satellites. In the same year, the Canadian company (Telesat) proposed a small satellite communication network consisting of 117 satellites, which is expected to be put into use in 2021.

In April 2019, Amazon announced the so-called “Kebe Project” This article is from WeChat public account:Tencent Space (ID:qqtaikong) author: Joe Hui