SpaceX launches 'mini' Gen2 Starlinks
Group 6-1 of satellites are new leap in SpaceX's internet Constellation
SpaceX launched Falcon9 v1.2 FT Block 5 rocket #B1076.3 launched 21 Starlink second generation 'V2 Mini' satellites (Starlink-74 / Starlink 6-1) into low orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC -40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on February 27, 2023, at 23:13:50 UTC. After separation, the B1076 first stage landed on the droneship Marmac 302 A Shortfall of Gravitas, Stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, and the fairing shells would be retrieved by the support vessel Doug , 637 km off the coast of Florida. The first stage previously flew two missions, CRS-26 and OneWeb 16.
The Group 6-1 satellites were released into an initial orbit of 373 km x 365 km at 43 degrees of inclination. From there, they rose to their final operational orbit at about 540 km, using electric Hall-effect thrusters, which use argon instead of the krypton in Starlink V1.5 models. The satellites were released using a new separation system, consisting of an “H” shaped structure hinged on a lever-like hinge, with a crushable aluminum core damper that is attached to the second stage, instead of individual clamps. used in previous models. The release, recorded on video by a camera on top of the mast, occurred between 00:17:45,660 UTC and 00:18:35,600 UTC on the 28th.