Stuff That’s Hard to Do (Falcon9 Starlink)

Nice vids of a nominal launch on a clear day
Won’t see ’em any better’n this
Save this one in the “How To” bin

BONUS

Cargo Dragon departs ISS
Cue background music

dick, not quite dead white guy says:

August 19, 2022 at 9:42 pm

Amazing, esp watching the retro rocket gimballing for the return landing.
leelu says:

August 20, 2022 at 7:54 am

Can’t wait to see Starship launch (arstechnica.com)

Starship inks first commercial satellite customer. Asia’s largest satellite operator, SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, announced Thursday that it plans to launch its Superbird-9 communications satellite on SpaceX’s Starship rocket. “Superbird-9 will be launched by SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle in 2024 to geosynchronous transfer orbit,” the company’s news release states. “SpaceX’s Starship is a fully reusable transportation system that will be the world’s most powerful launch vehicle.”

Small satellite, big rocket … The first Starship missions will almost certainly carry the company’s own Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. There have also been human missions announced, including Polaris 3 with Jared Isaacman, and the Dear Moon project. But until now, there had been no announcements of commercial satellite customers. It seems likely that Superbird-9 could be launched by a Falcon 9 or at least a Falcon Heavy, so perhaps SpaceX gave the Japanese company a discount for being a first mover. In any case, it’s a notable announcement for Starship as the program moves closer to an orbital launch attempt. (submitted by Ken the Bin)