Workers for SpaceX across the United States are preparing themselves for what has been characterized as their chief operating officer as a record number of launches to take place in 2020.
There are presently four launches of the Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Space Coast in the month of January. Additionally, three Starlink Broadband launches and an important test of in-flight abort capabilities are scheduled for the Crew Dragon spaceship.
SpaceX completed a total of 13 missions in 2019. Eleven of these missions were completed with the Falcon 9 rocket. The other two missions utilized the Falcon Heavy which contains three connected booster rockets. All 13 of the 2019 missions were successfully completed.
Space X completed 21 missions a year ago and 18 in 2017.
The 52 launches over the past three years are the longest streak of successful launches in the history of space launches. The last unsuccessful launch attempt by SpaceX took place in 2016 when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded not long before its scheduled takeoff.
Gwynne Shotwell is the president and COO of SpaceX. Shotwell says the company she represents will be much more active in 2020 and much of this extra activity is due to the Starlink program. Shotwell explains SpaceX will launch about 15 missions that don’t involve Starlink and will fly Starlink as often as possible. Shotwell says this could mean as many as 38 mission in 2020.
SpaceX officials say that all Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets in use will need new second stage boosters available to them. The officials say the process can be sped up by the fact that many of the rockets will use first-stage boosters that are being reused.
The company says that 10 new Falcon 9 first stages will be built at their Hawthorne, California facility in 2020. This number is down considerably from the 16 to 18 first stages that have been built each of the last few years. This reduction in the number of first-stage boosters being built will allow SpaceX engineers to concentrate on other vital activities.
The abort test by the Crew Dragon will use the Falcon 9 and take place at the Kennedy Space Center. Over a minute into the launch, the engines of the Falcon 9 will shut down and the SuperDraco abort thrusters will be fired from the Crew Dragon capsule. The escape exercise is intended to demonstrate the ability to carry crew and passengers away from danger in the event of rocket failure.
