5 ms·

SpaceX launches sixty Starlink satellites on thrice-flown rocket, sticks landing

87 points by kerng 7y ago

forgingahead 7y ago
There's an episode of Stargate SG1 ("Absolute Power" in Season 4), whereby one of the main characters in imbued with alien knowledge and leads a program to launch a constellation of satellites, ostensibly as protection for Earth against hostile invaders, however it turns out to be a massive weapons system used for geopolitical advantage. Starlink is incredible and ambitious, but that was the first thing that came to mind.
- ahje 7y ago
  With a name like that, Elon Musk is bound to go "Muahahahaha" at some point. :D
- VectorLock 7y ago
  I'm convinced that Elon Musk and his whole agenda is to get off the planet before we destroy it. Tesla to buy himself time, SpaceX to get him a lift home.
- practice9 7y ago
  Isn't that a common trope? (Was also used in one of Marvel's Avengers movies if I'm not mistaken)
  - wmeredith 7y ago
    Yes. I believe it was a Stark Industries product called Iron Shield.
jacquesm 7y ago
Interesting tidbit: the satellites were simply shoved out into space on the orbit they were already on without any effort to separate them or spread them out nicely along predefined orbits. It's funny how I imagined this whole thing as a giant orchestrated space ballet and instead it's more like throwing a handful of sand into the winds and wait to see where they end up.
- ygra 7y ago
  I guess they will maneuver to their respective orbits as soon as they separated enough to do so safely. But yes, there's something delightfully simple about just shoving the bunch of them out there and wait.
  - jve 7y ago
    Yes, they have thrusters and they will go from ~440km to ~550km orbit themselves > Krypton ion thrusters activate in about 3 hours to raise orbit https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1131782570864066560 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1131782570864066560 Lots of info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/brfbic/rspacex_starlink_official_launch_discussion/ https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/brfbic/rspacex_star...
- irjustin 7y ago
  It'll become the latter, orchestrated space ballet, once they get far enough to safely startup their ion engines. https://youtu.be/riBaVeDTEWI?t=435 https://youtu.be/riBaVeDTEWI?t=435
- kfrzcode 7y ago
  Why don't I see more discussion about ablation cascade, aka Kessler syndrome? That seems like a serious concern.
  - wtallis 7y ago
    They're low enough that junk simply can't stay aloft very long—one to five years is what they predict for a Starlink satellite with failed thrusters.
    - senectus1 7y ago
      thats a huge time variance.
      - wtallis 7y ago
sidcool 7y ago
I have been posting a lot of SpaceX kudos lately, but they absolutely deserve it. I wonder if Tesla were private, away from the watering mouths of Wall Street greed, it could do a lot better.
- adventured 7y ago
  Being public isn't the primary problem for Tesla. Tesla would do a lot better if they had a world-class industrial CEO like Alan Mulally or the equivalent running the show. Tesla needs their Gwynne Shotwell. Musk should focus on product, technology, evangelizing, etc. Tesla needs more Tim Cook right now, pushing manufacturing efficiencies and process perfection, than it needs a Steve Jobs running the show. There is no great reason Musk needs to be CEO of Tesla, his particular skill is elsewhere.
  - Jedd 7y ago
    Always compelling to see people who aren't Elon, Tim, Alan, Steve, or Gwynne describing what large corporations need to do.
    - zaroth 7y ago
      Seriously this. A Tesla wouldn’t be a Tesla if not for Elon at the helm. They’re producing nearly 1,000/day at this point. I’d say they’re in for quite a nice Q2. Once Giga3 turns on (optimistically targeted to be by the end of the year), they’ll be producing at a rate of over half a million cars a year. Hard to believe they’ll have the battery capacity for that (37.5GW)
  - sidcool 7y ago
    Manufacturing/logistics companies are inherently long term investments. It's not possible to get immediate profits from them. I opine that things would be more or less the same even if Gwynne or Tim Cook took the helm. What may miss without Elon is the coolness factor. I know it sounds weird but much of Tesla exists today because of the excitement around what the Tesla team does with the car next.
  - 7y ago
sdan 7y ago
History in the making

87 points by kerng 7y ago

There's an episode of Stargate SG1 ("Absolute Power" in Season 4), whereby one of the main characters in imbued with alien knowledge and leads a program to launch a constellation of satellites, ostensibly as protection for Earth against hostile invaders, however it turns out to be a massive weapons system used for geopolitical advantage. Starlink is incredible and ambitious, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

ahje 7y ago
With a name like that, Elon Musk is bound to go "Muahahahaha" at some point. :D
VectorLock 7y ago
I'm convinced that Elon Musk and his whole agenda is to get off the planet before we destroy it. Tesla to buy himself time, SpaceX to get him a lift home.
practice9 7y ago
Isn't that a common trope? (Was also used in one of Marvel's Avengers movies if I'm not mistaken)
- wmeredith 7y ago
  Yes. I believe it was a Stark Industries product called Iron Shield.

jacquesm 7y ago

Interesting tidbit: the satellites were simply shoved out into space on the orbit they were already on without any effort to separate them or spread them out nicely along predefined orbits. It's funny how I imagined this whole thing as a giant orchestrated space ballet and instead it's more like throwing a handful of sand into the winds and wait to see where they end up.

ygra 7y ago
I guess they will maneuver to their respective orbits as soon as they separated enough to do so safely. But yes, there's something delightfully simple about just shoving the bunch of them out there and wait.
- jve 7y ago
  Yes, they have thrusters and they will go from ~440km to ~550km orbit themselves > Krypton ion thrusters activate in about 3 hours to raise orbit https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1131782570864066560 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1131782570864066560 Lots of info here: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/brfbic/rspacex_starlink_official_launch_discussion/ https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comments/brfbic/rspacex_star...
irjustin 7y ago
It'll become the latter, orchestrated space ballet, once they get far enough to safely startup their ion engines. https://youtu.be/riBaVeDTEWI?t=435 https://youtu.be/riBaVeDTEWI?t=435
kfrzcode 7y ago
Why don't I see more discussion about ablation cascade, aka Kessler syndrome? That seems like a serious concern.
- wtallis 7y ago
  They're low enough that junk simply can't stay aloft very long—one to five years is what they predict for a Starlink satellite with failed thrusters.
  - senectus1 7y ago
    thats a huge time variance.
    - wtallis 7y ago

sidcool 7y ago

I have been posting a lot of SpaceX kudos lately, but they absolutely deserve it. I wonder if Tesla were private, away from the watering mouths of Wall Street greed, it could do a lot better.

adventured 7y ago
Being public isn't the primary problem for Tesla. Tesla would do a lot better if they had a world-class industrial CEO like Alan Mulally or the equivalent running the show. Tesla needs their Gwynne Shotwell. Musk should focus on product, technology, evangelizing, etc. Tesla needs more Tim Cook right now, pushing manufacturing efficiencies and process perfection, than it needs a Steve Jobs running the show. There is no great reason Musk needs to be CEO of Tesla, his particular skill is elsewhere.
- Jedd 7y ago
  Always compelling to see people who aren't Elon, Tim, Alan, Steve, or Gwynne describing what large corporations need to do.
  - zaroth 7y ago
    Seriously this. A Tesla wouldn’t be a Tesla if not for Elon at the helm. They’re producing nearly 1,000/day at this point. I’d say they’re in for quite a nice Q2. Once Giga3 turns on (optimistically targeted to be by the end of the year), they’ll be producing at a rate of over half a million cars a year. Hard to believe they’ll have the battery capacity for that (37.5GW)
- sidcool 7y ago
  Manufacturing/logistics companies are inherently long term investments. It's not possible to get immediate profits from them. I opine that things would be more or less the same even if Gwynne or Tim Cook took the helm. What may miss without Elon is the coolness factor. I know it sounds weird but much of Tesla exists today because of the excitement around what the Tesla team does with the car next.
- 7y ago

sdan 7y ago

History in the making