SpaceX on track to launch Starlink IV in two weeks

Starting at the end of an unusual launch dry period in November 2021, the Starlink 4-10 will also be SpaceX’s 18th launch in four months, which is an average of 54 launches per year if it continues for the rest of 2022. Given that SpaceX has now maintained that Cadence for more than a third of the year, it is entirely plausible that the company will meet its goal of weekly missions (i.e. 52 launches) in 2022.

For Starlink 4-10, the drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG) left Port Canaveral on March 5th, joining the drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) – still at sea after the Falcon 9 booster was recovered. For a Starlink 4-9 launch on March 3rd. . It’s unknown what Falcon 9 will power SpaceX’s tenth launch of the year, but the company has plenty of options in its fleet of 11 in-flight-mounted boosters, four or five of which are theoretically available for the mission. The best candidates are the B1051 – in its record-breaking 12th launch – or the B1052, a converted Falcon Heavy booster plane that flies like the Falcon 9 for the second time.

After Starlink 4-10, SpaceX is said to have two more launches scheduled this month. Another Starlink mission (Starlink probably 4-12) It can be launched as soon as possible mid March. Axiom-1, Crew Dragon’s second entirely private mission, could launch four private astronauts (including three paying customers) to the International Space Station (ISS) on March 30. SpaceX then has a large number of launches scheduled for April 2022, including the Transporter-4 rideshare mission, Crew-4 and NROL-85 and the launch of one or two O3B mPOWER satellites. A Starlink mission or two will likely fill any gaps.

SpaceX on track to launch Starlink IV in two weeks