A Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to support the Starlink 7-9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission also includes the first six satellites that will be used for the company’s direct-to-cell service. Image: SpaceX

獵鷹 9 號火箭隨時準備好支援范登堡太空部隊基地的星鏈 7-9 任務。該任務還包括前六顆衛星，將用於該公司的直接到蜂窩服務。圖：SpaceX

SpaceX is wasting no time in kicking off what it plans to be a historically busy year for orbital launches. The company plans to launch its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink satellite mission after sunset on Tuesday.

SpaceX 不失時機地開始了它計劃的歷史上繁忙的軌道發射一年。該公司計劃在周二日落後發射其主力獵鷹 9 號火箭執行星鏈衛星任務。

Liftoff is set for 6:31 p.m. PST (9:31 p.m. EST, 0231 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Among the 21 Starlink satellites launching Tuesday evening are the first six that will feature direct-to-cell capabilities.

起飛時間定為下午 6:31。太平洋標準時間（美國東部標準時間晚上 9:31，世界標準時間 0231）從加州范登堡太空部隊基地的東 4 號航天發射場 (SLC-4E) 發射。在週二晚上發射的 21 顆星鏈衛星中，前六顆將具有直接到小區的功能。

Spaceflight Now will have live coverage of the launch starting 30 minutes prior to liftoff.

Spaceflight Now 將在升空前 30 分鐘開始對發射進行現場報道。

This launch was originally planned for mid-December, but SpaceX ran into undisclosed issues in the run-up to launch and had to scrub the mission.

此次發射原計劃於 12 月中旬進行，但 SpaceX 在發射準備過程中遇到了未公開的問題，不得不取消任務。

In a statement, SpaceX said that adding DTC will “enable mobile network operators around the world to provide seamless global access to texting, calling and browsing… on land, lakes or coastal waters.”

SpaceX 在一份聲明中表示，添加 DTC 將“使世界各地的行動網路營運商能夠在陸地、湖泊或沿海水域上提供無縫的全球簡訊、通話和瀏覽服務。”

During and August 2022 event featuring SpaceX founder Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO and President Mike Sievert, Musk called the new addition “a massive game changer” that would help eliminated dead zones across the globe.

在2022 年8 月SpaceX 創辦人 Elon Musk 和T-Mobile 執行長兼總裁 Mike Sievert 參加的活動中，馬斯克稱新增加的功能是「巨大的遊戲規則改變者”，將有助於消除全球範圍內的盲區。

“This really is a big deal,” Musk said during the presentation. “Even if an entire region or country lost connectivity because of a severe hurricane or floods or fires or tornados, earthquakes… even if all the cell towers were taken out, your phone would still work.”

「這確實是一件大事，」馬斯克在演講中說道。 “即使整個地區或國家由於嚴重的颶風、洪水、火災、龍捲風、地震而失去連接……即使所有的手機信號塔都被拆除，你的手機仍然可以使用。”

According to a Nov. 30, 2023, email sent to Kathyrn Medley, the acting division chief of the Federal Communication’s (FCC) Satellite Licensing Division, SpaceX anticipates launching “approximately 840 direct-to-cell capable satellites over the next 6 months, with additional launches continuing after that period.”

根據2023 年11 月30 日發送給美國聯邦通訊委員會(FCC) 衛星許可部門代理處長凱瑟恩·梅德利(Kathyrn Medley) 的電子郵件，SpaceX 預計在未來6 個月內發射「約840 顆具有直接接入蜂窩能力的衛星，其中該時期之後還會繼續進行更多發射。”

Jameson Dempsey, SpaceX’s director of satellite policy and the author of the email, wrote that the planned and future launches would “ensure that we can launch a critical mass of satellites in time to deliver commercial service later in 2024.”

SpaceX 衛星政策總監、電子郵件作者 Jameson Dempsey 寫道，計劃中和未來的發射將“確保我們能夠及時發射足夠數量的衛星，以便在 2024 年晚些時候提供商業服務。”

“As such, while we understand that the Commission may limit our experimental authority to the satellites we expect to launch and testing the next 6 months, we request that the launch license include authority for all 7500 satellites in our direct-to-cell modification application,” Dempsey wrote.

「因此，雖然我們知道委員會可能會將我們的實驗權限限制在我們預計在未來6 個月內發射和測試的衛星上，但我們要求發射許可證在我們的直接到小區修改申請中包含所有7500 顆衛星的權限”，鄧普西寫道。

Sievert noted during the August 2022 event that the upcoming service in the U.S. would use the existing T-Mobile mid-band PCS spectrum.

Sievert 在 2022 年 8 月的活動中指出，美國即將推出的服務將使用現有的 T-Mobile 中頻 PCS 頻譜。

“That allows us to then dedicate that, working together, to the constellation that Starlink operates so that we are seeing those satellites from every corner of the country,” Sievert said. “If you have a clear view of the sky, our vision is you’re connected.”

西弗特說：“這使我們能夠共同努力，將其奉獻給星鏈運營的星座，以便我們能夠看到來自全國各個角落的這些衛星。” “如果你能清楚地看到天空，我們的願景就是讓你保持聯繫。”

“Your phone doesn’t know it’s connecting to space. It will scan for its home network, it’ll scan for terrestrial roaming partners as well,” Sievert  added. “And if it fails to see those things, it will scan again and it will connect to the authorized connection from the satellite and it’ll think it’s connected to a cell tower because that phone is using industry standard technology communication protocols and it has the spectrum already built in. At least, the vast majority of phones in circulation today do.”

「你的手機不知道它正在連接到太空。它會掃描其家庭網絡，也會掃描地面漫遊合作夥伴，」Sievert 補充道。 「如果它看不到這些東西，它會再次掃描，並連接到來自衛星的授權連接，它會認為它已連接到手機信號塔，因為該手機正在使用行業標準技術通信協議，並且它具有頻譜已經內置。至少，當今流通的絕大多數手機都是如此。”

The Falcon 9 rocket supporting Tuesday’s launch features first stage booster, tail number B1082, which will launch for the first time on this mission. About 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the booster will land on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’

支援週二發射的獵鷹 9 號火箭配備了尾號 B1082 的第一級助推器，它將在本次任務中首次發射。升空後約 8.5 分鐘，助推器將降落在無人機上，“當然我仍然愛你。”