Starlink Group 4-18

Name: Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 4-18
Start: 2022-05-18T10:59:00+00:00
End: 2022-05-18T10:59:00+00:00
Location: Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Falcon 9 Block 5

SpaceX

Launch Status

Success

Wed • May 18th, 2022
10:59 AM UTC

Weather Forecast During Launch

According to weather officials, there’s a 80% chance of favorable weather conditions at the time of the launch.

Trajectory

View comprehensive details including the rocket’s trajectory, velocity, altitude, thrust, and more at FlightClub.io.

Mission

Starlink Group 4-18

Type: Communications
Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
Launch Cost: $52,000,000

A batch of 53 satellites for Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.

Location

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A has witnessed the launch of 175 rockets, including 174 orbital launch attempts, while Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 233 rocket launches.

Rocket

SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

Landing

Core B1052

Booster B1052 last launched 05/01/2023 and has seen 7 successful launches and landings. Stage Expended

A Shortfall of Gravitas – ASOG

The fourth ASDS barge, A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG) is currently used to recover Falcon 9 and Heavy boosters in the Altantic Ocean.

Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship – ASDS

An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform. Construction of such ships was commissioned by aerospace company SpaceX to allow for recovery of rocket first-stages at sea for high-velocity missions which do not carry enough fuel to return to the launch site after lofting spacecraft onto an orbital trajectory.

Agency

SpaceX

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.