SpaceX F9 - 12th Reuse - Iridium Next 51-55/GRACE-FO - SLC-4E

[Grendal]

Launch Date: May 22, Tuesday
Launch Window: 1947 GMT (3:47 p.m. EDT; 12:47 p.m. PDT)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Booster Recovery: None - Possible water landing with focus on fairing recovery.
Booster Type: B1043 - Block 4 - Reused from Zuma on 1/8/18
Orbit: LEO 4800 kg (Iridium)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 5 satellites for the Iridium next mobile communications fleet and two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE Follow-On) satellites for NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

Iridium NEXT | Iridium Satellite Communications

 

[Patrick W]

Launch Date: May 19, Saturday
Launch Window: 2003 GMT (4:03 p.m. EDT; 1:03 p.m. PDT)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Booster Recovery: Expended - Possible water landing with focus on fairing recovery.
Booster Type: B1043 - Block 4 - Reused from Zuma on 1/8/18
Orbit: LEO 4800 kg (Iridium)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 5 satellites for the Iridium next mobile communications fleet and two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE Follow-On) satellites for NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).

Iridium NEXT | Iridium Satellite Communications

Not sure what you mean by "Booster Recovery: Expended" Does that mean the booster will not be recovered?

And where you say "Possible water landing" don't all the boosters that are not recovered land in the water?

???

Thanks.

 

[Grendal]

Not sure what you mean by "Booster Recovery: Expended" Does that mean the booster will not be recovered?

And where you say "Possible water landing" don't all the boosters that are not recovered land in the water?

???

Thanks.

The booster will not be recovered. It is the second launch of a Block 4. However, SpaceX will probably use the booster for experimental maneuvers that will be used for future recoveries. SpaceX has called these experimental water landings in the past. That is how they actually had the B1032 NROL 76/GovSat-1 booster survive landing in the water.

Sorry for the confusion. I should have realized that not everyone would get the reference.

 

[Patrick W]

The booster will not be recovered. It is the second launch of a Block 4. However, SpaceX will probably use the booster for experimental maneuvers that will be used for future recoveries. SpaceX has called these experimental water landings in the past. That is how they actually had the B1032 NROL 76/GovSat-1 booster survive landing in the water.

Sorry for the confusion. I should have realized that not everyone would get the reference.

Thanks for the explanation. I did not know SpaceX had ever done a "soft" landing on the ocean. Or that any to land in the ocean actually survived. Too bad no video of that touchdown. Just sorry to hear it was later sunk. For anyone that might be interested I found this: Chris G - NSF on Twitter

 

[Brass Guy]

Thanks for the explanation. I did not know SpaceX had ever done a "soft" landing on the ocean. Or that any to land in the ocean actually survived. Too bad no video of that touchdown. Just sorry to hear it was later sunk. For anyone that might be interested I found this: Chris G - NSF on Twitter

The early tests were soft ocean landings. A quick search came up with this, maybe there are some better videos out there.

 

[Electroman]

Unbelievable. That cameraman loses track of the rocket just at the moment before touch down. What a douche bag.

 

[Grendal]

The early tests were soft ocean landings. A quick search came up with this, maybe there are some better videos out there.

This has a lot of the water landings:

 

[Grendal]

May 20th, Sunday, will be the backup date for this launch.

10th launch of 2018 and 9th launch of a Falcon 9.

Sadly, only three more Iridium launches left.

Fifth launch highlights:

 

[Grendal]

Saturday's launch just slipped to Monday. The first post is now updated.

 

[Electroman]

I love Iridium launches. The sight of 10 satellites all getting released one after another in about 15 seconds apart each, and that you can see them as pearls floating in the sky is a visual treat. If they get released during the day time sky with the sun low on the horizon, it would be spectacular.

 

[Grendal]

I love Iridium launches. The sight of 10 satellites all getting released one after another in about 15 seconds apart each, and that you can see them as pearls floating in the sky is a visual treat. If they get released during the day time sky with the sun low on the horizon, it would be spectacular.

Keep in mind that this will be a bit different. Only 5 Iridium satellites are deploying this time with 2 NASA satellites as well. We still have two more Iridium launches still to come. Matt Desch has recently tweeted that those two will be using new Block 5 rockets for those. So no more reuse for Iridium.

There are six "spare" satellites sitting on the ground as a backup for future failures that go beyond the spare satellites they will have in orbit. So if enough things go wrong in space then SpaceX will get one more launch from Iridium in the future. After that, I'll bet the next constellation goes up on a BFR in about 10 to 15 years.

 

[Electroman]

And BFR can carry about 20+ sattelites in a single launch ?

 

[e-FTW]

Unbelievable. That cameraman loses track of the rocket just at the moment before touch down. What a douche bag.

Can robots be “douche bags”?

 

[ecarfan]

And BFR can carry about 20+ sattelites in a single launch ?

The BFS (upper stage) has a usable interior volume roughly equivalent to an Airbus 380 jumbo jet. It could in theory launch hundreds of satellites, depending on their size and mass.

 

[Electroman]

The BFS (upper stage) has a usable interior volume roughly equivalent to an Airbus 380 jumbo jet. It could in theory launch hundreds of satellites, depending on their size and mass.

Of course. You could say the same thing for Falcon 9 too.

In this context I meant 20+ Iridium satellites.

 

[Joerg]

Why so offensive? Do the maths yourself.

 

[Grendal]

Another slip - Now it is Tuesday 12:47 and 58 seconds. First post updated.

It was a range issue.

 

[Grendal]

Static Fire successful.

Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete—targeting May 22 launch of Iridium-6/GRACE-FO from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

SpaceX on Twitter

 

[Grendal]

Since this launch is carrying NASA satellites, here is the pre=launch conference.

 

[Grendal]

Webcast: