I've just watched the live CYGNSS launch, and I'm wondering why there was so much unpowered coasting between stage 2 burnout and stage 3 ignition? The vehicle was not yet in orbit, so presumably it was losing velocity from stage 2?
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1Possible duplicate: http://space.stackexchange.com/q/4187/58 – called2voyage Dec 15 '16 at 14:34
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1And from links within, a gravity turn, which I think suitably answers the question. – slartibartfast Dec 15 '16 at 14:36
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2We'll wait on someone to confirm that this is indeed the case for CYGNSS before closing your question as a duplicate. – called2voyage Dec 15 '16 at 14:39
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With solids, the only easy engine control is coast time. Based on actual data, the control system can adjust the coast time between stages to ensure the insertion orbit is optimal. – tl8 Dec 16 '16 at 06:11
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@PearsonArtPhoto ditto – uhoh Mar 26 '19 at 17:30