SpaceX F9 - Axiom Mission 2 - LC-39A

Launch Date: May 21
Launch Window: 5:37pm EDT (2:37pm PDT, 21:37 UTC)
Launch site: LC-39A, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Booster Recovery: LZ-1
Booster: B1080.1
Dragon: Crew Dragon, C212.2 Freedom
Mass: Crew Dragon: 12,519 kg (27,600 lb)
Orbit: LEO - ISS
Dragon Return - May 31
Yearly Launch Number: 34

Crew:
Commander: Peggy Whitson, USA, Axiom Space
Pilot: John Shoffner, USA, Commercial Astronaut
Mission Specialist 1: Ali AlQuarni, Saudi Arabia, SSC
Mission Specialist 2: Rayyanah Barnawi, Saudi Arabia, SSC

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 10th flight with astronauts. The commercial mission, managed by Axiom Space, is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Paying passenger John Shoffner will serve as pilot of the mission. Two commercial space fliers from Saudi Arabia, Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, will also be on the approximately 12-day mission to the space station. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea off the coast of Florida. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land at LZ-1 11 km south of the launch site.

Axiom Mission 2 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ax-2 Mission — Axiom Space

The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) astronauts are part of the latest class of space pioneers and Axiom Space's next crew to expand access to the International Space Station (ISS) and low-Earth orbit.

www.axiomspace.com

 

[JB47394]

Just curious - how did they communicate with ATC when they entered controlled airspace? Did someone in the control center send a message ahead of time requesting clearance to be sure they'd avoid other aircraft? I know it couldn't be "Axiom2 entering 62 mile final for the Atlantic Ocean straight in"everyone else watch out hahah

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-02/8DanielMurray20180919FAA-ASTVandVsummit.pdf

That presentation is from 2018 and it was describing how they were transitioning from phone calls to live data connections between the involved space agency or company and the FAA.

I want to see the first air traffic controller call for a hold at altitude.

 

[HVM]

They have *NOTAMs for launches and re-entries, and the airspace is closed in effected area. Same for maritime traffic (NOTMAR).

*)"A Notice to Airmen/Notice to Air Men/Notice to Airman/Notice to Air Missions is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight."

Example of NGA version:

FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS:
A. 311740Z TO 311810Z MAY, 010205Z TO
010235Z JUN, 011715Z TO 011745Z,
020140Z TO 020210Z, 021650Z TO 021720Z,
030120Z TO 030150Z, 031630Z TO 031700Z,
040055Z TO 040125Z AND 041605Z TO 041635Z,
ALTERNATE 030115Z TO 030145Z AND
040050Z TO 040120Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN
NINE MILES OF 28-51.00N 080-13.80W.
B. 311745Z TO 311815Z MAY, 010205Z TO
010235Z JUN, 021655Z TO 021725Z,
030115Z TO 030145Z, 031635Z TO 031705Z,
040055Z TO 040125Z AND 041610Z TO 041640Z,
ALTERNATE 020140Z TO 020210Z,
021700Z TO 021730Z AND 040050Z TO
040120Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-48.00N 080-40.02W.
C. 311750Z TO 311820Z MAY, 010155Z TO
010225Z JUN, 021700Z TO 021730Z,
030110Z TO 030140Z, 031640Z TO 031710Z,
040045Z TO 040115Z AND 041615Z TO 041645Z,
ALTERNATE 020130Z TO 020200Z AND
041610Z TO 041640Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN
NINE MILES OF 30-54.95N 080-15.00W.
D. 310250Z TO 310320Z MAY,
021720Z TO 021750Z JUN, 030140Z TO 030210Z,
031655Z TO 031725Z AND 040115Z TO 040145Z,
ALTERNATE 011740Z TO 011810Z, 020200Z TO
020230Z, 040110Z TO 040140Z AND 041630Z TO
041700Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-42.97N 086-10.95W.
E. 310255Z TO 310325Z MAY, 020205Z TO
020235Z JUN, 021725Z TO 021755Z,
030145Z TO 030215Z, 31705Z TO 031735Z AND
040120Z TO 040150Z, ALTERNATE
011745Z TO 011815Z, 011750Z TO 011820Z,
030140Z TO 030210Z, 031700Z TO 031730Z,
040115Z TO 040145Z AND 041635Z TO
041705Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-48.00N 087-30.00W.
F. 310245Z TO 310315Z MAY,
030130Z TO 030200Z JUN, 031645Z TO 031715Z,
040110Z TO 040140Z AND 041625Z TO 041655Z,
ALTERNATE 020155Z TO 020225Z, 021710Z TO
021740Z, 040105Z TO 040135Z AND 041620Z TO
041650Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
29-16.97N 084-12.00W.
G. 310245Z TO 310315Z, 311750Z TO 311820Z MAY,
021705Z TO 021735Z JUN, 030135Z TO 030205Z,
031640Z TO 031710Z, 040115Z TO 040145Z AND
041620Z TO 041650Z, ALTERNATE 020200Z TO
020230Z, 040110Z TO 040140Z AND 041615Z TO
041645Z JUN IN AREA WITHIN NINE MILES OF
28-06.00N 083-54.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 041805Z JUN 23.//

 

[JB47394]

This is how the local news covers stuff like this

 

[carlyb24]

They have *NOTAMs for launches and re-entries, and the airspace is closed in effected area. Same for maritime traffic (NOTMAR).

*)"A Notice to Airmen/Notice to Air Men/Notice to Airman/Notice to Air Missions is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight."

Example of NGA version:

Ohhh they put it in NOTAMs … ok well that’s fantastic and i feel very reassured knowing that now. Naturally myself and every pilot Ive ever met reads NOTAMs religiously prior to each flight

 

[carlyb24]

This is how the local news covers stuff like this

That’s some hard hitting journalism right there - I’m just surprised Elon Musk saving Christmas wasn’t one of the possible theories

 

[carlyb24]

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-02/8DanielMurray20180919FAA-ASTVandVsummit.pdf

That presentation is from 2018 and it was describing how they were transitioning from phone calls to live data connections between the involved space agency or company and the FAA.

I want to see the first air traffic controller call for a hold at altitude.

Interesting! Slide 5 - “turn right… Roger turn right” is killing me tho

 

[HVM]

Ohhh they put it in NOTAMs … ok well that’s fantastic and i feel very reassured knowing that now. Naturally myself and every pilot Ive ever met reads NOTAMs religiously prior to each flight

Yeah, I don't stalk you, so how I could know that you have wings. These are actually secured and enforced by Air Force.

And by the Coast Guard (+Navy now) as can see here:

 

[carlyb24]

Yeah, I don't stalk you, so how I could know that you have wings. These are actually secured and enforced by Air Force.

And by the Coast Guard (+Navy now) as can see here:

Yeah I figured there had to be more to it than just NOTAMs - thanks for sharing!

 

[ecarfan]

Nice tracking footage of the Axiom booster returning to the LZ.

 

[Electroman]

Nice tracking footage of the Axiom booster returning to the LZ.

The landing trajectory is quite puzzling. When it is close to the landing zone I would have expected the booster would have lost all its horizontal component and will be dropping straight at 0 degrees to the vertical, atleast for the last few KMs.

But it maintains an angle of around 20 to 30 degrees (from the vertical) throughout its path after re-entry burn and even after landing burn has started, and straightens only at the last few seconds just about 200 meters from touch down.

It is just amazing.

 

[JB47394]

Its landing trajectory is quite puzzling.

Safety. You're using the booster's full cross-range capability (horizontal movement) to bring it back over land. If anything goes wrong, all failure modes leave it out over water. I'm speculating somewhat, but that sort of thing is pretty standard for safety critical systems.

 

[bxr140]

If anything goes wrong, all failure modes leave it out over water.

Yep, that’s the main element. The thing has a ton of horizontal range to retrace to get back to the LZ and it burns most of those clicks along a 'free-return' type ballistic-ish arc that terminates at 0 altitude just short of the LZ. If the horizontal velocity was zeroed at a higher altitude that would mean the nominal/free-return trajectory would have to be shallower and, necessarily, would overshoot the LZ. Any loss of control of the returning booster following that overshooting trajectory would mean SpaceX is not just bombing the central Florida coast, but likely a military installation. (Aside, for the foreseeable future this is one of the major--and likely insurmountable--hurdles for PTP starship travel.)

Just as important, that kind of overshooting return trajectory would require more energy than one that plops in the drink just short of the LZ. The boost back burn would have to be hotter to track the shallower/longer return arc, and then (assuming the boost back trajectory isn't a horribly inefficient alley-oop) then there would need to be a third burn required to zero out the horizontal velocity at altitude, before the landing burn. At the risk of stating the obvious, that kind of return concept would result in a lower performing RTLS mission.

 

[HVM]

Here is the example in practice, if anybody forget: