Question $10(10$ points$)$

article link: File: A Falcon $9$ rocket stands ready to launch a Starlink mission. Image: SpaceX

SpaceX is preparing to launch its latest batch of $21$ Starlink satellites on a Thursday night Falcon $9$ launch from

California.

The Falcon $9$ rocket launch will set a new record for Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the first time that $31$

orbital missions have taken off in a calendar year. Thirty of those launches were from SpaceX and one was from

Firefly Aerospace.

Liftoff of the Starlink $9-6$ mission from Space Launch Complex $4$ East $($SLC$-4$E$)$ is set for $6$:$45$ p$.$m$.$ PDT $(9$:$45$ p$.$m$.$

EDT, $0145$ UTC$).$

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about $30$ minutes prior to liftoff. The Falcon $9$ first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B$1071$ in the SpaceX fleet, will be launching

for an $18$th time. It previously flew three missions for the National Reconnaissance Office $($NROL$-87,$ NROL$-85$ and

NROL$-146),$ two rideshare missions $($Transporter$-8$ and Transporter$-9)$ and ten Starlink missions.

A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B$1071$ will land on the SpaceX droneship $\text{'}$Of Course I Still Love You.$\text{'}$ If

successful, this will be the $101$st landing on OCISLY and the $348$th booster landing to date.

Among the $21$ Starlink satellites are $13$ that include Direct to Cell capabilities. With this launch, SpaceX will have a

total of $207$ of these satellites capable of providing signals to regular cellphones. According to expert orbital

tracker and astronomer Jonathan McDowell, there are currently more than $6,400$ Starlink satellites on orbit. A diagram of the Starlink direct$-$to$-$cell service. Graphic: SpaceX

Dragon demo

Some hours after the launch from California, four astronauts orbiting in low Earth orbit will conduct a unique

demonstration of the technology. The Starlink demonstration comes on flight day four for the Polaris Dawn

mission.

A Starlink WiFi router is located within the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft, which is connected to to a laser

system embedded within the trunk of the Dragon called the "Plug and Plaser."

"You might think getting internet might be as easy as flipping that switch and turning on your internet, but it's not.

We're talking about a laser sending information to a Starlink satellite that is moving at orbital velocity, down to

Earth and then back again," said Sarah Gillis, a Polaris Dawn mission specialist and SpaceX engineer. "It's been an

incredible development effort by the SpaceX team and on a personal note, l've taken specific interest in this

development effort and we have a special message that we will share with the world, using this technology." In a precursor to the formal demonstration, the Polaris Program shared a post on X$,$ formerly Twitter, in which it

said that the two embedded images of the crew and the Earth were sent via Starlink.

Part of the goal Polaris Program is supporting St$.$ Jude Children Research Hospital and to do so$,$ they are also

bringing Starlink internet service to some of their locations around the world. They brought Starlink terminals to

schools and hospitals in developing countries to bolster their connectivity.

Based on the current activities and advancements described in the Supply Chain in

the News article, which phase of the innovation lifecycle is SpaceX's Falcon $9$

initiative most likely in$?$

Growth

Maturity

Decline

Launch