Comments on: SpaceX launches 20 more Starlink satellites using a new first stage

By: mkent

mkent — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 03:37:29 +0000

”Risky, flying a payload on a brand new, never flown booster.”

The reason the first flight on this booster is risky is because SpaceX didn’t seal the booster properly during its delivery to Florida, and they suffered a water intrusion issue as a result. The preferred course of action would normally have been to use the next new booster in line, but SpaceX isn’t making new boosters fast enough for that anymore. So the next best thing is to take the damaged booster for a test flight before using it for crew.

Flying a Starlink flight first wasn’t the original plan. It’s just the best SpaceX can do right now. I suspect it will be plenty good enough.

By: Edward

Edward — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 02:43:44 +0000

geoffc wrote: "Risky, flying a payload on a brand new, never flown booster. Good thing they have Starlink to fly these missions to reduce the risks before paying customers." Eight years ago it was thought that flying a used booster was the risky move.

By: Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 03:13:00 +0000

They should build more–to add to the rotation

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:19:13 +0000

I think the use of the new first stage as a Starlink mission is genius. – it is a good thing. This allows SpaceX to get flight hardware from “new and untested” (no flights) to at least a single flight but on the Starlink ledger. – probably at full cost too.

By: geoffc

geoffc — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 17:08:13 +0000

Risky, flying a payload on a brand new, never flown booster. Good thing they have Starlink to fly these missions to reduce the risks before paying customers.