🔴 LIVE: SpaceX launches Starlink mission 17-35 on a Falcon 9 rocket
Video from the channel Frontera Espacial about Falcon 9, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 55:34. Language: Spanish. Video type: Livestream.
What is being broadcast
The channel Frontera Espacial live-streams, with Spanish-language commentary from Agustín Vallejos and Jael Robles, the launch of SpaceX's Starlink 17-35 mission on a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg, California. The payload is 25 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. The first stage, B1103, is making its maiden flight, something unusual in a fleet whose boosters now exceed 30 flights. The previous day's attempt had been scrubbed for weather. The broadcast combines SpaceX's official feed with footage shot by the channel itself from Mexicali, Mexico.
Key moments
Before liftoff, the hosts explain propellant loading (RP-1 and liquid oxygen), the retraction of the strongback, and the so-called jellyfish effect: the engine plume expanding and lit up by the sun during dusk launches. After liftoff come Max Q, first-stage shutdown, stage separation, second-stage ignition on its single vacuum Merlin engine, and payload fairing separation, which SpaceX also recovers. The jellyfish effect is clearly visible from Mexicali. The first stage fires three Merlin engines for the reentry burn and a single one for landing.
Outcome
B1103 lands on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You, and second-stage orbital insertion is confirmed. The satellite deployment, expected roughly an hour after launch, is not shown. The final part of the stream covers Starship's Flight 5, including the booster catch by the tower's arms. It also discusses plans for Flight 12, expected in early May, and the future Starlink V3 generation, closing with the launch schedule for the following weeks.