SpaceX successfully launched Starlink Group 7-15 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The mission was a record breaking launch for the company as it tied its own previous record of launches with this flight.
On Thursday, February 22nd, SpaceX successfully launched Starlink Group 7-15 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission was a record breaking launch for the company as it tied its own previous record of launches with this flight. This marks the first time that a Falcon 9 rocket has been used to launch satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) and is an important step towards establishing SpaceX's dominance in space exploration.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ties its record with the launch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday, Feb. 22.
The mission roared away from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and headed on a south-easterly trajectory targeting a orbit of approximately 184 x 178 miles (296 x 475 km) inclined at about 53 degrees to the equator.
The first stage touched down on drone ship named Of Course I still Love You stationed about 400 miles (644km) in Pacific Ocean off coast of Baja California.
Deployment of the V2 Mini Starlink satellites will occur just over an hour after launch.
Accuracy
The Falcon 9's first stage landed on a drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean after liftoff and will be refurbished for another flight.
Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that SpaceX has set a record with this launch. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the rocket's success as tying a mark and being the 19th mission for this Falcon 9's first stage, which is meant to create excitement and enthusiasm for the event.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink satellites lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday at 11:11 p.m. EST (8:11 p.m. local California time; 0411 GMT on Feb. 23). It was the 7th mission for this Falcon 9's first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description.
The Falcon 9's upper stage was scheduled to deploy the Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) about 62 minutes after liftoff. The LEO megaconstellation currently consists of more than 5,400 operational spacecraft, but that number is increasing all the time.
Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Site
Conflicts
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Interest (50%)
Mike Wall has a financial tie to SpaceX as he is a senior space writer with Space.com and covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space.
Author
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Mike Wall has a conflict of interest on the topic of SpaceX and Falcon 9 rocket as he is a senior space writer with Space.com and covers exoplanets, spaceflight, military space but has dabbled in the space art beat.
The mission roared away from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and headed on a south-easterly trajectory targeting a orbit of approximately 184 x 178 miles (296 x 475 km) inclined at about 53 degrees to the equator.
The Falcon 9's first stage landed on a drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean after liftoff and will be refurbished for another flight.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that SpaceX has more than two million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries. However, this information is not supported by any evidence or sources provided in the article.
The statement 'SpaceX has more than two million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries' is a lie by omission as no source was cited to support it.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that SpaceX has more than two million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries without providing any evidence or sources for this claim. Secondly, the author commits a hasty generalization when they state that all of the satellites will be deployed just over an hour after launch without considering potential delays or issues that may arise during deployment. Lastly, the article contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that SpaceX has launched 5,850 Starlinks since 2019 without providing any context for this number and its significance.
SpaceX says it has more than two million subscribers to its Starlink internet service in more than 60 countries.
Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
SpaceX has a financial stake in the Starlink satellites and Vandenberg Space Force Base. The author of the article is not disclosed.
SpaceX is launching two Starlink missions in the upcoming week
China will also be sending two payloads to orbit, including one on the powerful Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) rocket
Roscosmos is preparing to launch Russian-built satellites to orbit atop Soyuz
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
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Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the Starlink Group 7-15 mission lifted off on Feb. 22 at 8:11 PM PST (04:11 UTC on Feb. 23) from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 4E at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, but it does not mention that this was actually a second launch of Starlink Group 7-5 mission which had already been launched earlier in the day. Secondly, it states that CZ-5 is China's largest active heavy-lift launch vehicle and can take 14,400 kilograms to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or 5,100 kilograms to GEO. However, this information is not accurate as the actual payload for CZ-5 mission is unknown at this time.
The article states that Starlink Group 7-15 mission lifted off on Feb. 22 from SLC 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, but it does not mention that this was actually a second launch of the same mission which had already been launched earlier in the day.
The article states that CZ-5 is China's largest active heavy-lift launch vehicle and can take 14,400 kilograms to GTO or 5,100 kilograms to GEO. However, this information is not accurate as the actual payload for CZ-5 mission is unknown at this time.
Fallacies
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The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Starlink Group 7-15 mission was successful and SpaceX has a good track record with launches. This is not evidence for or against any particular claim made in the article, but rather an attempt to establish credibility based on past performance. Additionally, there are several instances of inflammatory rhetoric used by the author when describing China's launch schedule as
The Starlink Group 7-15 mission was successful and SpaceX has a good track record with launches.
China will continue its impressive 2024 launch schedule with the launch of CZ-5 on Feb. 23 at 11:30 UTC.
Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Aaron McCrea has conflicts of interest on the topics SpaceX and Starlink Group 7-15 as he is an employee of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. He also has a conflict of interest on the topic Roscosmos Soyuz 2.1b as he is reporting for nasaspaceflight.com, which covers space exploration and missions.
Aaron McCrea is an employee of NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, which has a vested interest in the success of SpaceX's Starlink Group 7-15 mission.
Author
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The author has conflicts of interest on the topics SpaceX and Starlink Group 7-15. The article does not disclose these conflicts.
A Falcon 9 carrying 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit is scheduled to liftoff on Thursday at 8:11 p.m.
The first stage of the launch has been used previously
Following stage separation, it's expected to land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
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Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that SpaceX has been granted permission to lease Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket launches. This statement implies that the grant of permission is a legitimate reason for the launch, but no evidence or reasoning is provided to support this claim. The second fallacy is an inflammatory rhetoric when it states that
Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Site
Conflicts
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Interest (50%)
Kathrene Herndon has a conflict of interest with SpaceX as she is reporting on the launch of Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. She also reports on Starlink satellites and low-Earth orbit which are topics that may be relevant to SpaceX's business.
Kathrene Herndon reported on the launch of Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a site owned by SpaceX. She also reports on Starlink satellites and low-Earth orbit which are topics that may be relevant to SpaceX's business.
The article mentions David J. Phillip/AP as the photographer for the launch of Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, a site owned by SpaceX.
Author
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The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of SpaceX as they are launching Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The article does not disclose any other conflicts.
Starlink Group 7-15 is a launch of v2 Mini Starlink satellites
SpaceX is the rocket company launching it
The customer paying for this mission is SpaceX
Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1061-19 will be used for the launch
Accuracy
The payload mass is estimated to be ~17,600 kg (22 x ~800 kg, plus dispenser)
Yes, the first stage will be attempted to recover
No fairings are specified for recovery or new
Weather forecast for the launch was not provided by 30th Weather Squadron
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the SpaceX Starlink Group 7-15 mission was fully successful without providing any evidence or data to support this claim. Additionally, the author makes a false dichotomy by stating that none of these satellites have direct-to-cell capability when in fact some of them do. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as 'a record' and 'boosting the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 5,872'.
The author claims that the SpaceX Starlink Group 7-15 mission was fully successful without providing any evidence or data to support this claim.
The author makes a false dichotomy by stating that none of these satellites have direct-to-cell capability when in fact some of them do.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Trevor Sesnic has a conflict of interest on the topics of Starlink Group 7-15 and Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1061-19 as he is an employee at SpaceX. He also has a financial tie to SpaceX through his employment.
Trevor Sesnic is employed by SpaceX, the company behind Starlink Group 7-15 and Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1061-19.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Trevor Sesnic has a conflict of interest on the topics of Starlink Group 7-15 and Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1061-19 as he is an employee at SpaceX. He also has a financial tie to SpaceX, which could influence his coverage of these topics.
Trevor Sesnic mentions that the Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1061 was successfully recovered (https://everydayastronaut.com/starlink-group-7-15-falcon-9-%E2%80%9Cbock-%E2%80%9D/)
Trevor Sesnic mentions that the payload mass for Starlink Group 7-15 was approximately 22 x ~800 kg and initial orbit was at 53.16°Ba (https://everydayastronaut.com/starlink-group-7-15-falcon-9-block-%E2%80%9Cb1061-%E2%80%9D/)
