From: snidely.too@gmail.com   
      
   On Friday, Snidely pointed out that ...   
   > Thursday, the twice postponed Starlink Group 9-3 launch went up from   
   > Vandenberg at the beginning of the window (no jellyfish for SoCal on this   
   > one), and the booster (B1063 on its 19th flight) worked and was recovered.   
   >   
   > But the second stage could be seen in the downlink to be shedding more ice   
   > than usual from the insulated "bag" above the nozzle, and fell way short of   
   > 200 km  (152 km than down to 139 km after "stage 2 in terminal guidance" was   
   > announced).  SpaceX terminated the feed after "MVac shutdown" was called out,   
   > about 38 min into the youtube relay by Spaceflight Now.   
   >   
   > SpaceX's web site says "the second stage engine did not complete its second   
   > burn .... satellites were deployed into a lower than intended orbit.  SpaceX   
   > has made contact with five of the satellites so far and is attmpting to have   
   > them raise orbit using their ion thrusters."   
   >   
   > /dps   
      
   NSF (in today's /This Week In Space/) and Scott Manley report on this,   
   noting that the FAA has announced that it is requiring an   
   investigation.  Also, it seems Elon has x'd that the rocket motor had a   
   RUD, evidently on relight.   
      
   The altitude issues I noticed may be normal ellipitical orbit   
   insertion.  And looking at Starlink 8-8 (a month ago), similar numbers   
   do show up before the coast phase.  The relight would be the   
   circularization burn at apogee.   
      
   /dps   
      
      
   --   
   Killing a mouse was hardly a Nobel Prize-worthy exercise, and Lawrence   
   went apopleptic when he learned a lousy rodent had peed away all his   
   precious heavy water.   
   _The Disappearing Spoon_, Sam Kean   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)