One ignition

and liftoff of Falcon 9. Go SpaceX. Go

Starlink.

Vehicles downrange.

M1D chamber pressures are nominal.

Starlink mission 17 and 54. SpaceX's

Fercon and rocket launched 24 Starling

satellite to low Earth orbit from Space

Launch Complex 4 East at Vindenberg

Space Force Base in California. This was

the 14th flight for the Falcon 9 and

first stage booster supporting this

mission which previously launched SDA T1

TLB SDA T1 TLC transporter 16 and 10

Starlink missions. Following first day

separation, the first stage booster

landed on the off course drone ship

which was stationed in the Pacific

Ocean. Falcon 9 and first stage

incorporate nine Merlin engines and

aluminium lithium tanks containing

liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosin

propellent. Falcon 9 generate more than

1.7 million pounds of thrust at the sea

level. The nine Merlin engines on the

first stage are gradually throttled near

the end of the first stage flight to

limit the launch vehicle acceleration as

the rocket's mass decreases with the

burning of fuel.

These engines are also used to reorient

the first stage prior to re-entry and to

deacelate the vehicle for landing.

Merlin is a family of rocket engines

developed by SpaceX for use on its

Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy

launch vehicles.

Merlin engines use a rocket grade

kerosene propellant and liquid oxygen as

a rocket propellant in a gas power

cycle. Merlin vacuum features a larger

exhaust section and a significantly

larger expansion nozzle to maximize the

engine's efficiency in the vacuum of

space. Its combustion chamber is

regeneratively cooled while the

expansion nozzle is radiatively cooled.

At full power, the Merlin vacuum engine

operates with the greatest efficiency

ever for an Americanmade hydrocarbon

rocket engine.

The Falcon 9 first stage is equipped

with four landing legs made of

state-of-the-art carbon fiber with

aluminum honeycomb placed symmetrically

around the base of the rocket. They are

stubbed at the base of the vehicle and

deploy just prior to landing.

The interstage is a composite structure

that connects first and the second

stages and houses the parametric pusher

that allow first and the second stage to

separate during flight.

Falcon 9 is equipped with four

hypersonic grid fins positioned at the

base of the interstage. They orient the

rocket during re-entry by moving center

of pressure.

The second stage powered by a single

Merlin vacuum engine delivers Falcon 9's

payload to the desired orbit.

The second stage engine ignites a few

seconds after the stage separation and

can be restarted multiple times to place

multiple payloads into different orbits.

Made of a carbon composite material, the

fairing protects satellite on their way

to orbit. The fairing is jettisoned

approximately three minutes into flight

and SpaceX continues to recover fairing

for reuse on its future missions. All 24

Starlink satellites are encapsulated in

a 13.1 m high and 5.2 m diameter

fairing. Later, SpaceX confirmed the

deployment of all 24 Starlink satellite

launched on its mission 17954.

Let me tell you again that this was the

14th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage

booster supporting this mission which

previously launched SDA T1 TLB SDA T1

TLC transporter 16 and 10 Star Link

missions. Following first day separation

the first stage booster landed on the

off course I steal drone ship which was

stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Page one landing leg deploy.

H1 landing confirmed.