Falcon Heavy - General Discussion

[Grendal]

Any news on the heavy launch date?

So I'll answer this one here. FH will happen a little less than 2 months after the first launch from SLC-40 happens. So SLC-40 has to finish repairs, which should be a couple more months, then the team repairing 40 can move back over to 39A and complete the infrastructure needed to launch FH. So on Elon time FH will launch in July-August but under realistic working their butts off time it's more like September-October.

At this point it is all about the infrastructure and a launch window. Two cores have been test fired at McGregor. The final side booster is in Florida waiting to go to McGregor for its test firing. It probably would have already happened if it was needed anytime soon.

 

[macpacheco]

LC40 return to action is now NET August. So best case FH launch is October.
Apparently SLC40 work is a bit more than originally estimated.
Perhaps some more upgrades to make LC40 as productive as LC39A.
And the well known Elon time dilation !
The pessimists already place FH launch on 2018. I still think its in 2017, but likely Nov/Dec.

 

[ecarfan]

To help those who are not familiar with the KSC launch sites that SpaceX uses, I found this photo. 39A is the site that the Apollo missions (almost all of them) and all the shuttle missions launched from. SpaceX is currently launching from the F9 from it and will be launching the FH from it after some additional modifications, as @Grendal explained. SLC-40 is a site SpaceX was launching from until last year when an F9 exploded on the pad during fueling (before launch). So that pad is currently being repaired. Supposedly repairs are almost complete, just a few more months.

 

[NeverFollow]

To help those who are not familiar with the KSC launch sites that SpaceX uses, I found this photo. 39A is the site that the Apollo missions (almost all of them) and all the shuttle missions launched from. SpaceX is currently launching from the F9 from it and will be launching the FH from it after some additional modifications, as @Grendal explained. SLC-40 is a site SpaceX was launching from until last year when an F9 exploded on the pad during fueling (before launch). So that pad is currently being repaired. Supposedly repairs are almost complete, just a few more months.

Which launchpad will be used for the three nearly simultaneous landings FH boosters?

 

[dhanson865]

Which launchpad will be used for the three nearly simultaneous landings FH boosters?

SpaceX, Air Force assess more landing pads, Dragon processing at LZ-1 | NASASpaceFlight.com

LC-13 (also known as Landing Zone 1, or LZ-1 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida.

Google Maps

It's south of LC40, not on the picture in the post above yours.

 

[Grendal]

Here is what the landing pads at LZ-1 (formerly LC-13) will eventually look like. With a possibility of three boosters landing there simultaneously. The main pad is already there and has already been used multiple times. I expect SpaceX to only focus on one other pad before the first FH launch since we know they will try for the boosters to RTLS while the central core will try for an ASDS landing.

 

[ccutrer]

To help those who are not familiar with the KSC launch sites that SpaceX uses, I found this photo. 39A is the site that the Apollo missions (almost all of them) and all the shuttle missions launched from. SpaceX is currently launching from the F9 from it and will be launching the FH from it after some additional modifications, as @Grendal explained. SLC-40 is a site SpaceX was launching from until last year when an F9 exploded on the pad during fueling (before launch). So that pad is currently being repaired. Supposedly repairs are almost complete, just a few more months.

Minor correction - 39B hosted shuttle flights, as well as 39A. My 5 minutes of skimming wikipedia doesn't have a count of how many from each, but they definitely were not exclusive to 39A. IIRC, for every shuttle launched off of one pad, the other pad (and a shuttle) were on alert for a rescue mission launch.

 

[NikeWings]

Fixated by those 16 seconds again..........static fire test of FH.
I keep watching it over and over. Getting closer.

SpaceX on Twitter

 

[NeverFollow]

Fixated by those 16 seconds again..........static fire test of FH.
I keep watching it over and over. Getting closer.

Just wonder if it's only me, but no sound? I was expecting my subwoofer be shaking my home!
I would be interested to look at the way the rocket is hold in place and doesn't take off....
I cannot wait for the FH 27 boosters fired up all together at the same time!

 

[NikeWings]

Just wonder if it's only me, but no sound? I was expecting my subwoofer be shaking my home!

I've got those sounds effects down pat now.....everyone around me thinks I am an absolute nut job, firing a booster out of my mouth for 16 seconds.

 

[Grendal]

Falcon Heavy tweet from Elon:

Elon Musk on Twitter

"All Falcon Heavy cores should be at the Cape in two to three months, so launch should happen a month after that"

So SpaceX is still on track for October-ish launch.

 

[ICUDoc]

Awesome!

 

[ecarfan]

In the 6/22/2017 Space Show radio program at http://www.thespaceshow.com/file/7663/download?token=0hnS0L2y Gywnne Shotwell said that the FH will fly definitely this year and the KSC pad that is being repaired after the F9 loss last year is almost ready. She said that the FH new center core and one side core that is flight proven are at the Cape and the other side core is at McGregor for testing.

 

[MTL_HABS1909]

Instagram post by Elon Musk • Jul 28, 2017 at 1:10am UTC

 

[Grendal]

Hopefully, it's not on Elon Time. I think it will be accurate this late in the game though.

Go SpaceX.

 

[ecarfan]

November! Great news. That is going to be an awesome launch. Unless there is.a RUD. But that happens in the space business sometimes.

 

[nwdiver]

Which launchpad will be used for the three nearly simultaneous landings FH boosters?

Well... hopefully 2 nearly simultaneous and one slightly later. If there are 3 nearly simultaneous 'landings' then something went terribly wrong

 

[Doug_G]

November! Great news. That is going to be an awesome launch. Unless there is.a RUD. But that happens in the space business sometimes.

Well, it will be spectacular regardless of RUD or not!

 

[SwTslaGrl]

"First draft animation of the Falcon Heavy three core launch."

Instagram post by Elon Musk • Aug 4, 2017 at 10:00am UTC

 

[thenaimis]

Ah, a somewhat edited version of the youtube video posted two years ago. That kind of explains why the core is landing back on land rather than on the drone ship like they've been saying lately.