SpaceX F9 - ArabSat 7B/Badr 8 - SLC-40

Launch Date: May 26
Launch Window: 11:25pm EDT (9:25pm PDT, 0325 GMT on 25th)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida
Core Booster Recovery: ASDS - JRTI
Booster: B1062.14
Fairings: Reused - 8th and 9th
Mass: 4500 kg
Orbit: GTO
Yearly Launch Number: 35

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the ArabSat 7B/Badr 8 communications satellite for Arabsat based in Saudi Arabia. From geostationary orbit, ArabSat 7B/Badr 8 will provide communications coverage for Arabsat customers over Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. ArabSat 7B/Badr 8 also hosts an optical communications payload demonstrator developed by Airbus called TELEO. The spacecraft was built by Airbus, and is based on the Eurostar Neo platform. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Arabsat 7B (Badr 8)

Airbus has been contracted by Arabsat, one of the worldÂs top satellite operators, to build Badr-8, their new generation telecommunications satell...

space.skyrocket.de

 

[808?]

 

[Grendal]

Abort called at 3:22 to launch. Weather was mentioned.

 

[Grendal]

New Webcast:

 

[Grendal]

Not a good chance for a launch tonight either: 20%

 

[808?]

Now pushed to the 26th May.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Liftoff and landing perfect.

 

[MyJoule]

`14 flights of the booster- amazing. Threaded the needle on the weather, I thought for sure they were going to scrub when she said weather was a watch item at about T-2:00.. Successful launching seems like routine now. Good launch, landing, and deployment. Way to go SpaceX

 

[Grendal]

14th reuse of the booster but it was very clean looking. I wonder if the customer requested the cleaning? I'm sure that SpaceX doesn't care about the soot on the booster but Arabsat may have.

 

[ecarfan]

I’m wondering if that booster was repainted, like they used to do years ago. It sure looked clean.