On Tuesday, July 18, 2020 at 10:31 a.m. EDT (local time), SpaceX launched its tenth Starlink mission, which includes 58 Starlink satellites and 3 Planet SkySat satellites belonging to a third-party customer. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the 39A (LC-39A) launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

  The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket had already supported the first Crew Dragon demonstration mission to the International Space Station, the launch of the RADARSAT Constellation mission, and the fourth and seventh Starlink missions. After the separation of the stages, SpaceX landed the first stage of the Falcon 9 on the droneship barge "Of Course I Still Love You", which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Another feat was the recovery of the two rocket caps from the nets of the boats provided for this purpose.

   The three Planet SkySat satellites were deployed sequentially 13 minutes after liftoff, and the Starlink satellites were deployed approximately 46 minutes 26 seconds after liftoff. The Starlink satellites were deployed in a circular orbit, as was done for Starlink missions 1 to 4. In addition, all of the Starlink satellites on this flight are equipped with a deployable visor to prevent sunlight from hitting the brightest points on the spacecraft. This is a measure that SpaceX has taken as part of its work with major astronomy groups to mitigate the reflectivity of the satellites.

Reviewing the launch of the Falcon 9 Starlink Mission-10 :

  Few companies in the aerospace industry can boast so much success in 48 hours, SpaceX has done it. After many postponements in recent days, Tuesday, August 4, 2020 on the complex of Boca Chica in Texas, the prototype Starship SN5 has climbed to 150m and landed on the landing area. Expect to see a test of the SN5 at 1000m in the coming days. 

  Peu d'entreprises dans l'aérospatial peuvent se targuer d'autant de réussite en 48 heures, SpaceX l'a fait. Après de nombreux reports ces derniers jours, mardi 4 août 2020 sur le complexe de Boca Chica au Texas, le prototype Starship SN5 a effectué une montée à 150m et s'est posé sur l'aire d'atterrissage. Attendons-nous à voir un test du SN5 à 1000m, dans les jours qui viennent.

Revoir les vidéos du désamarrage et du retour sur Terre du vaisseau Crew Dragon :