SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 4 - Koreasat 5A - LC-39A

[Grendal]

Launch Date: Oct. 30 Monday
Launch window: 1934-2158 GMT (3:34-5:58 p.m. EDT)
Launch site: LC-39A (almost certainly - outside chance of SLC-40)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Koreasat 5A communications satellite for KTsat based in South Korea. Koreasat 5A will provide direct-to-home television broadcast and other communications services over Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Guam, Indochina, and South Asia. The satellite will also support maritime communications. Delayed from July and Oct. 14. [Sept. 30]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/koreasat-5a.html

This will be the 16th launch from SpaceX this year. This launch will double the number of launches for SpaceX's previous best year of 2016. This launch will use a new Block 4 booster launching a 3500 kg satellite to GTO. As of now this seems to be an ASDS recovery. The satellite is pretty light.

The satellite has already arrived in Florida. The rocket has been seen on the road this week headed to Florida. The static fire has been tentatively scheduled for 10/26.

 

[oneday]

Static fire success!

SpaceX on Twitter

 

[Grendal]

Weather for Monday is great. 90% favorable at time of launch.

 

[Electroman]

Go SpaceX, Go.

Although it is a GTO launch, with a light satellite, is there a chance it can do an RTLS ? Or all GTO launches destined for drone ship landing?

 

[GaryW]

Go SpaceX, Go.

Although it is a GTO launch, with a light satellite, is there a chance it can do an RTLS ? Or all GTO launches destined for drone ship landing?

I wondered the same thing.

According to spaceflight.com, its a drone ship landing. The drone ship statement is at the end of this article.

Falcon 9 rocket engines test-fired in advance of Monday launch – Spaceflight Now

 

[Grendal]

Webcast is up. The timing on it seems to be wrong though. The launch will happen in the PM, not the AM as the webcast currently states.

Monday, October 30 at 3:34 p.m. EDT, or 19:34 UTC. A backup launch window opens on Tuesday, October 31 at 3:34 p.m. EDT. The satellite will be deployed approximately 36 minutes after liftoff. This will be an ASDS landing on OCISLY.

 

[Grendal]

Webcast has begun.

 

[BrettS]

Here’s a couple pics of it going up from my front porch

 

[doug]

Beautiful launch. It's awesome to see those on a clear day. They barely showed the successful landing. Looks like it was on fire.

 

[gjunky]

"a little toasty" was the comment. Pretty funny

 

[Electroman]

Bulls Eye

 

[oneday]

Wow S1 appeared to have flames going further up the stage then I’ve ever seen it. I wonder if that’s norminal or not?

 

[adiggs]

"a little toasty". I'm still laughing. And crying some tears of joy Never gets old.

 

[HVM]

Looks ok(ish):

 

[RDoc]

That did look a bit scarey to me. I wonder if they had an RP1 leak after engine shut down, I seem to remember that happening once previously.

 

[e-FTW]

Space is boring now.

That is mind-boggling!

 

[macpacheco]

Although the satellite was a light mass, if SpaceX was contracted to put it on a supersync orbit depending on that and how much reduction in inclination it will provide can make this launch as energy demanding as one to standard GTO and twice the mass.
Since the initial parking orbit is standard, the duration of the second upper stage burn gives clues, 67 seconds, plus its a Block IV upper stage with higher thrust. But I don't know how to analyze it. In 24-48 hours we should know the initial TLE for KoreaSat 5A and have some clues.

 

[macpacheco]

1617 m/s away from GEO estimate at 285 x 50185 km x 22 degrees orbit (from NSF KoreaSat 5A discussion forum).
Standard GTO from the cape is about 285 x 35784 x 28.5.
That's a substantial upgrade from the standard 1800m/s from GEO.
But I'm not sure what that means vs the payload launch mass.

 

[ecarfan]

Great launch, all systems nominal. That’s what I like to hear. Some residual fuel burn off after landing. No big deal. Landing looked like it was just a couple of meters off. Yawn...amazing!

It was disappointing not to be able to visually follow the 1st stage all the way back to OCISLY.

 

[Grendal]

It was disappointing not to be able to visually follow the 1st stage all the way back to OCISLY.

The next one is another military style launch where we'll follow the first stage from beginning to end at an RTLS. If the weather is great like this launch then it should make up for the last few interrupted ASDS adventures. It's on these that SpaceX gets to use those incredible cameras that NASA or the military owns.