SpaceX F9 - Block 5 - Telstar 19V - SLC-40

[Grendal]

Launch Date: July 22, Sunday
Launch Window: 0550-0950 GMT (1:50-5:50 a.m. EDT)
Launch site: SLC-40
Booster Recovery: ASDS on OCISLY
Booster Type: B1047 - Block 5
Orbit: GTO

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Telstar 19 VANTAGE communications satellite for Telesat. The Telstar 19 VANTAGE satellite will provide high-throughput Ku-band and Ka-band communications services, supporting broadband applications over South America, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic and Canada. The satellite was built SSL. The weight/mass has not been announced yet. It is likely to be on the heavy side. Anywhere from 4500 kg to 6000+ kg.

Edit: We now know this will be the heaviest GTO satellite ever launched at 7075 kg.

Telstar 19V (Telstar 19 Vantage)
https://www.telesat.com/sites/www.t...s/news/telesat_orders_t19v_from_ssl_final.pdf
Chris B - NSF on Twitter

 

[Cosmacelf]

New block 5 core I take it?

 

[Grendal]

New block 5 core I take it?

Yes. Second Block 5 core. The third block 5 was just spotted by our Tesla Forum member nwdiver.

Just saw a Falcon 9 passing through Jal, NM!!

Other notable B5 events coming up are:

B1051 being used for the Commercial Crew Demo #1
The In Flight Abort will be done with a reused Block 5 for its third reuse. This may be the very first third launch using the same booster.
The next two Iridium launches will use new Block 5s. Those will probably be B1048 and B1049.

The one remaining Block 4 booster after the one being launched for CRS-15 has been unofficially labelled as fire (post landing RP-1 leakage) damaged and will likely never be reused.

 

[ICUDoc]

The In Flight Abort will be done with a reused Block 5 for its third reuse. This may be the very first third launch using the same booster.

When is this proposed to takeoff, Grendal?

 

[Mike1080i]

When is this proposed to takeoff, Grendal?

The In Flight Abort demo should fly sometime after SpX-DM1, the uncrewed flight test of Crew Dragon. I believe they want to reuse the DM1 Crew Dragon for the IFA demo flight. I've read August and September dates for DM1, so late 2018 is a reasonable guess for the IFA demo. If DM1 and the IFA demo go well, I believe they are still aiming to fly the crewed flight test (SpX-DM2) before the end of the year.

SpaceX makes progress toward Commercial Crew debut – NASASpaceFlight.com

 

[ICUDoc]

thanks!

 

[Grendal]

Date pushed out two days. First post updated. If the schedule holds, this will now be the third B5 launch instead of the second.

And pushed out one more day to the 22nd. The launch window hasn't changed.

 

[Bobfitz1]

The six week period beginning with 7/22 Telstar launch may be the most active launch period for SpaceX
yet. Four launches with dates and two more listed as TBD for August. Given normal launch postponements,
we may see three or four launches. However there is an outside chance there could be 6 launches in six weeks!
That would be an amazing accomplishment.

 

[Grendal]

Static Fire successful. Launch is on for the 22nd.
SpaceX on Twitter

 

[Bgarret]

Will happen to be in Orlando On the 22nd. At the minimum, will watch from there....sneaking suspicion I will be taking a late night road trip to the Cape.

 

[Grendal]

Weather is not the greatest for the primary launch time: 60% go.

 

[Grendal]

Now we know how impressive Block 5 is. SpaceX will launch the heaviest GTO satellite yet AND still recover the booster. This satellite is 7075 kg and will be the heaviest GTO satellite ever launched.
Record-setting commercial satellite awaits blastoff from Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

Webcast will be here:

 

[Bgarret]

In Orlando now. One more cell to go through the area, should be clear by 9, just needs to have the wind calm down.

Bgarret. Itinerant meteorologist.

 

[Grendal]

Everyday Astronaut is live hosting the event:

 

[Grendal]

Webcast has begun.

 

[SMAlset]

Missed the launch by a minute or two so will rewatch that later but nice to see separation, fairings released, and Stage 1 land back on the pad.

 

[Grendal]

Successful launch, MECO, booster landing, and SECO 1. Payload deployed successfully too.

If this were a Block 4 booster SpaceX would have lost it. The payload was FH level. Block 5 is very impressive.

This is the 20th F9 booster recovery in a row. The last failure on a F9 attempt was Jun 15, 2016! More than two years ago.

 

[SMAlset]

Anyone other than us Grendal up watching it? Not bad here at 10:50pm PDT but later east of me. I had gone to SpaceX site earlier in evening and they said site would go live at 10:50 so set an alarm only to find out it must have taken off around then or before. Kind of thought I would be tuning in to pre-launch coverage at 10:50. Glad to see things going well.

 

[TDR32]

I watched.

 

[arnolddeleon]

Anyone other than us Grendal up watching it?

Now I'm watching it again w/ the Everyday Astronaut during the coast phase.