Nikxice
Active Member
Guessing that the topography around Vandenberg will also prevent a visual on the last few seconds prior to touchdown? Believe the landing zone is lower than the launch site.
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Guessing that the topography around Vandenberg will also prevent a visual on the last few seconds prior to touchdown? Believe the landing zone is lower than the launch site.
Yes. The landing pad is about 440 meters from the launch pad. It is closer to the coast, so you can't see the actual landing from the viewing sites outside the base.
I don’t know if the LZ is much lower than the pad (I thought there were very close to the same elevation) but you can’t see the pad from the off-base viewing areas so you won’t be able to see the stage touchdown as there are some low hills in the way.
But you will be able to see the stage descend up until a few seconds before landing, just like you don’t see the F9 until a few seconds after liftoff. Doesn’t matter, it is an awesome spectacle! My First Rocket Launch: There is No Substitute for Being There!
And now there appears to be a second booster landing happening at Vandenberg SLC-4W.
The first is SAOCOM 1A NET September 5th.
The second is likely SSO-A NET September 25.
Both launches might be using reused Block 5 boosters.
The first is SAOCOM 1A NET September 5th.
The second is likely SSO-A NET September 25.
Both launches might be using reused Block 5 boosters.
Yes. West Coast RTLS at Vandenberg. SLC-4W is the designation for the landing pad at Vandenberg. The launch pad is SLC-4E.
thegruf
Active Member
Wow - did you see the great ring vortex photo over on Teslarati -
SpaceX delivers largest commercial satellite in kick off of Falcon 9 marathon
SpaceX delivers largest commercial satellite in kick off of Falcon 9 marathon
Now we know that the first turnaround for a Block 5 happened in a two month period, I expect that the next examination for a third launch to take the same amount of time. SpaceX will need to check a booster for wear and tear for each additional launch beyond two until they see the point where refurbishment needs to happen. Over time they can develop a standardized system for reuse with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. Sadly, that wear pattern will probably be understood intimately just about the time BFR is launching regularly and SpaceX is considering retiring F9 and FH.
e-FTW
New electron smell
What I am excited about is that the first turnaround becomes shorter for each booster.
So it looks like SAOCOM 1A will reuse the Iridium booster B1048 which will also become the very first booster to RTLS on the West Coast.
Michael Baylor with NextSpaceFlight tweeted about this and had a great picture of the launch pad and landing pad in one shot.
Michael Baylor on Twitter
A great article about this from Michael as well:
SAOCOM 1A ships to Vandenberg as Falcon 9 prepares for the first west coast RTLS – NASASpaceFlight.com
Michael Baylor with NextSpaceFlight tweeted about this and had a great picture of the launch pad and landing pad in one shot.
Michael Baylor on Twitter
A great article about this from Michael as well:
SAOCOM 1A ships to Vandenberg as Falcon 9 prepares for the first west coast RTLS – NASASpaceFlight.com
Wow, exciting! My wife and I plan to be there for that launch and land. 
In a very real sense, the whole "reusable rockets aren't economical" argument fell apart last year. That was even with Block 3 and 4 and only one reuse. Now it's going to be ridiculous as SpaceX starts to crush all their competitors.
Not a good time to be upper management at competing launch companies. They will all be on anti depressants soon.
I've always wondered if that charming Frenchman who introduced Elon on behalf of CNES last year (BFR event) secretly resented him and SpaceX. I mean this could be the beginning of the end for a lot of competing companies and their associated national space programmes.
You must realize that’s a ridiculous statement to make. Launcher competition will certainly change the way the other companies operate, but it will not be the beginning of their demise. They will restructure. They may even downsize while they adapt. But...spacex is not going to put the Europeans or the Russians or the Chinese or the Japanese or the Indians out of business and it’s straight crazy to think otherwise. They will come up with something.
Hell, given the increasingly more bizarre behavior from Elon (like today!?!?) he’s probably more likely to tank his own launcher company than someone else’s...
Back on topic, the only thing more access to space does is elevate national space programs, not shutter them. More countries than ever want to be in [and can get to] space thanks in no small part to spacex. More countries than ever are standing up national space programs.
More damaging to the big launchers will be if the new small launchers can really become profitable. Firefly, Strato, Rocket Lab, Virgin, etc... Those companies will really accelerate the move toward smaller, lower cost, and more agile space solutions.
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