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In article <XnsAD39A2FA4311BPhantomView@95.216.243.224> <governor.swill@gmail.com> wrote:

It was a busy weekend for SpaceX, with the private space company
launching three of its Falcon 9 rockets into orbit over a period
of three days. SpaceX’s final launch may even have been carrying
a classified government payload in addition to launching a spare
satellite for low Earth orbit operator Globalstar.

The back-to-back launches kicked off Friday from Kennedy Space
Center’s Launch Complex 39A, where a Falcon 9 rocket carried 53
Starlink satellites to orbit as part of the company’s growing
broadband internet megaconstellation. The rocket’s first stage
booster set a new record for SpaceX, marking the 13th flight and
landing for the reusable booster.

The next day, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched a radar imaging
satellite for the German military. SaRah-1, built by Airbus,
launched from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force
Base in California to replace the existing SAR-Lupe system. The
satellite is designed to deliver images of Earth’s surface at
any time of day, regardless of weather conditions.

On Sunday, SpaceX made its final launch of the weekend. Its
third Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The company
identified one payload on the rocket, Globalstar FM15, a spare
satellite for phone and low-speed data communications company
Globalstar.

However, several reports suggest that this lone satellite wasn’t
the only one hitching a ride to low Earth orbit. Those observing
the launch and deployment of the Globalstar payload noticed that
the rocket was sporting three unusual burns and landed on the
Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship, which is used when the rocket
is carrying heavier payloads, although the Globalstar payload
would have been light enough for it to land back on the launch
pad, according to SpaceNews.

Additionally, SpaceX provided a video of the payload deployment
to orbit, which showed that it had deployed nearly two hours
after liftoff. The video showed what may have been a payload
adapter on the rocket’s second stage, suggesting that the rocket
may have deployed another payload after its first burn. The
mysterious circumstances gave credence to rumors suggesting that
SpaceX had launched a U.S. classified government payload. SpaceX
has not confirmed the second payload and did not immediately
respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.

Sunday’s launch marked SpaceX’s 26th launch of 2022, and the
company is planning to go even bigger for the rest of the year.
After passing an environment assessment by the Federal Aviation
Administration for a proposed site expansion in Boca Chica,
Texas, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that heavy rocket Starship
would be ready for its first orbital launch in July. Musk is
hoping that Starship will be transporting the company’s next-
generation Starlink satellites to orbit, which has some
astronomers worried over their potential interference in
observations of the cosmos. SpaceX has also recently fired
several employees over criticism of Musk’s behavior.

https://gizmodo.com/spacex-just-pulled-off-three-launches-in-36- hours-1849088799

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