from
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-4-18

SpaceX rocket launches 53 Starlink satellites into orbit and aces
landing at sea
By Mike Wall published about 4 hours ago

The Falcon 9 rocket launch (and landing) marked SpaceX's third Starlink
mission in five days.

A used SpaceX rocket launched a new fleet of Starlink internet
satellites into orbit and returned to Earth for a stunning landing at
sea early Wednesday (May 18).

The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with 53 Starlink spacecraft soared
into the Florida morning sky from NASA's Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space
Center. Liftoff was at 6:59 a.m. EDT (1059 GMT), about 39 minutes later
than SpaceX initially planned.

"Falcon 9 has successfully lifted off carrying our 53 Starlink
satellites into space," SpaceX production manager Jessie Anderson said
during a live webcast. The launch marked SpaceX's third Starlink mission
in five days following missions on May 13 and May 14.

About nine minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth
with a smooth landing on SpaceX's droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in
the Atlantic Ocean, with onboard cameras capturing stunning video of the
entire descent. It was landing number 121 for a SpaceX booster, Anderson
said.

Related: SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos

Image 1 of 3
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 53 Starlink satellites into space from
Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 18, 2022.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 53 Starlink satellites into space from
Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 18, 2022.
(Image credit: SpaceX)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 53 Starlink satellites into space from
Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 18, 2022.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 53 Starlink satellites into space from
Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 18, 2022.
(Image credit: SpaceX)
This split screen view shows SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket booster returning
to Earth (left) as its second stage carries 53 Starlink satellites (seen
in stacked configuration) toward orbit on May 18, 2022.

This split screen view shows SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket booster returning
to Earth (left) as its second stage carries 53 Starlink satellites (seen
in stacked configuration) toward orbit on May 18, 2022. (Image credit:
SpaceX)
Starlink is SpaceX's broadband constellation, which currently consists
of more than 2,300 satellites, according to astrophysicist and satellite
tracker Jonathan McDowell. That number has been growing rapidly lately;
SpaceX has launched 21 missions already in 2022, and 14 of them have
been dedicated Starlink flights as of Wednesday's launch.

But the Starlink population could get truly huge in the not-too-distant
future; the next-generation version of the constellation may eventually
consist of up to 30,000 satellites, according to a Reuters report.

Image 1 of 2
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands atop the droneship A Shortfall Of
Gravitas after successfully launching 53 Starlink satellites into orbit
on May 18, 2022.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands atop the droneship A Shortfall Of
Gravitas after successfully launching 53 Starlink satellites into orbit
on May 18, 2022. (Image credit: SpaceX)
A view of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as it approaches its droneship
landing platform A Shortfall Of Gravitas on May 18, 2022.

A view of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as it approaches its droneship
landing platform A Shortfall Of Gravitas on May 18, 2022. (Image credit:
SpaceX)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands atop the droneship A Shortfall Of
Gravitas after successfully launching 53 Starlink satellites into orbit
on May 18, 2022.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands atop the droneship A Shortfall Of
Gravitas after successfully launching 53 Starlink satellites into orbit
on May 18, 2022. (Image credit: SpaceX)
A view of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as it approaches its droneship
landing platform A Shortfall Of Gravitas on May 18, 2022.

A view of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as it approaches its droneship
landing platform A Shortfall Of Gravitas on May 18, 2022. (Image credit:
SpaceX)
RELATED STORIES:
— 8 ways that SpaceX has transformed spaceflight
— The 20 most memorable SpaceX missions from its 1st 20 years
— SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites could be used for GPS navigation

Wednesday's mission marked the fifth for this particular Falcon 9 first
stage. SpaceX previously used the rocket booster to launch its
Arabsat-6A mission and the Space Test Project-2 flight for the U.S.
Space Force (both as one of two side boosters on a Falcon Heavy rocket);
as well as the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 satellite for Italy
and an earlier Starlink flight.

Such reuse is a priority for SpaceX and its founder and CEO, Elon Musk,
who views rapid and repeated reflight as the key breakthrough needed to
make ambitious exploration feats such as Mars settlement economically
feasible.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018;
illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life.
Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom
or on Facebook.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions,
night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment,
let us know at: community@space.com.

[snip]

So you're saying in the war of the supply chains
between Putin and Musk, the latter is winning?

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

On 5/18/2022 9:33 AM, danny burstein wrote:
> [snip]
>
> So you're saying in the war of the supply chains
> between Putin and Musk, the latter is winning?
>

??
Probably,,,

But after where many thought back in 1970 we would
be in "space" in 50 years,

Seems amazing to me the REAL PROGRESS we have
made in the last decade.

And it is individuals with serious vision, and
finances that are doing it.

a425couple wrote on 19/5/22 3:15 am:
> On 5/18/2022 9:33 AM, danny burstein wrote:
>> [snip]
>>
>> So you're saying in the war of the supply chains
>> between Putin and Musk, the latter is winning?
>>
>
> ??
> Probably,,,
>
> But after where many thought back in 1970 we would
> be in "space" in 50 years,
>
> Seems amazing to me the REAL PROGRESS we have
> made in the last decade.
>
> And it is individuals with serious vision, and
> finances that are doing it.

But isn't a large portion of that finance coming via NASA??
--
Daniel