SpaceX Falcon 9 FT launch - EchoStar 23 - LC-39A

[Grendal]

We seem to be up and running again. So the placeholder for this launch has now become much more likely.

Location Kennedy Space Center LC-39A
Date: January 15th
Time 10:50 PM EST
Window 2 hours, 30 minutes
The first SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from KSC Pad-39A is scheduled for December 2016. EchoStar 23 is a very flexible Ku-band satellite, capable of providing service from any of eight different orbital slots, and is designed to provide service for 15 years or longer. It will utilize SS/L’s flight-proven SSL-1300 spacecraft bus.


Read more at Launch Calendar - SpaceFlight Insider
More details on EchoStar satellites: EchoStar - Wikipedia

 

[Mike1080i]

We seem to be up and running again. So the placeholder for this launch has now become much more likely.

Location Kennedy Space Center LC-39A
Date: January 15th
Time 10:50 PM EST
Window 2 hours, 30 minutes

This may be January 26th now, but still preliminary.

 

[Grendal]

This may be January 26th now, but still preliminary.

It's now unofficially official. EchoStar has moved to NET (No Earlier Than) January 26th. There is an Atlas V launch on January 19th out of Florida. It is also likely that the 26th date will be pushed out as well.

 

[e-FTW]

Would that first stage have been the one they were moving Thursday night out of Hawthorne? Trying to figure out if that is what I saw getting set up.

 

[Grendal]

Would that first stage have been the one they were moving Thursday night out of Hawthorne? Trying to figure out if that is what I saw getting set up.

No. The stage for EchoStar has been in Florida since mid-December. The one you saw is headed for McGregor Texas for a static test burn and then probably on to Florida for the early February CRS-10 launch. Or that stage is already in McGregor and the one you saw is for a launch after that.

SpaceX was on a roll when the anomaly brought everything to a halt. They were reaching the point that they had a F9 built every two weeks. I'm not sure how fast they can get back to that production level again. I'm sure they want it to be there now with their huge backlog of launches. I also don't know how many completed stages were sitting around. The green light is lit and now SpaceX just has to get back into their production rhythm and get them flying.

I like that SpaceX pushes the envelope but they need to focus on having no more RUDs except on landings.

 

[e-FTW]

No. The stage for EchoStar has been in Florida since mid-December. The one you saw is headed for McGregor Texas for a static test burn and then probably on to Florida for the early February CRS-10 launch. Or that stage is already in McGregor and the one you saw is for a launch after that.

Ok. I could not tell if it was a previously launched stage, but it was sitting next to a "dirty" one that seemed to be getting refurbished.
We could see a total of four stages through the open door. One looked like it was coming out, two were in an undetermined state, and the other I mentioned above.

SpaceX was on a roll when the anomaly brought everything to a halt. They were reaching the point that they had a F9 built every two weeks. I'm not sure how fast they can get back to that production level again. I'm sure they want it to be there now with their huge backlog of launches. I also don't know how many completed stages were sitting around. The green light is lit and now SpaceX just has to get back into their production rhythm and get them flying.

There sure was a lot of activity at SpaceX when I visited, with a flatbed moving two big flat pieces of equipment under blue SpaceX coverings (to Vandenberg?), other trucks moving various things, then the night time thing. Plus an LN2 delivery.

I like that SpaceX pushes the envelope but they need to focus on having no more RUDs except on landings.

word

 

[Grendal]

Ok. I could not tell if it was a previously launched stage, but it was sitting next to a "dirty" one that seemed to be getting refurbished.

Since the SES-10 re-flight of a used first stage should be early on in the launch cadence, I would expect that is the booster that will be re-used for that launch. That is very exciting. SES-10 was to be sometime around October last year before the anomaly happened to cause a halt.

We could see a total of four stages through the open door. One looked like it was coming out, two were in an undetermined state, and the other I mentioned above.

That is total of, at least, six.
1. At Vandenberg - Iridium
2. At Cape Kennedy - EchoStar
3. Dirty in Hawthorne - SES-10 re-use
4-6. Three others you saw. (I expect these would all be new)
7+. Something in McGregor and other used boosters (2 others possible)

Edit: I missed an entire important discussion where it was mentioned that the other two available used boosters are being used for the Falcon Heavy side boosters. That is a big deal but I doubt that FH will be very early in the launch cadence. The boosters at Hawthorne will be used long before FH flies.

There sure was a lot of activity at SpaceX when I visited, with a flatbed moving two big flat pieces of equipment under blue SpaceX coverings (to Vandenberg?), other trucks moving various things, then the night time thing. Plus an LN2 delivery.

If those large flat things were big enough, they might be pieces of the replacement strongback for LC-40 in Florida. I'm sure that is a priority for SpaceX.

 

[ecarfan]

If those large flat things were big enough, they might be pieces of the replacement strongback for LC-40 in Florida. I'm sure that is a priority for SpaceX.

I always assumed -- with no supporting evidence -- that the Florida strongback was made at or near the Cape, in Florida.

Does SpaceX make the strongbacks in Hawthorne and then ship them across country?

 

[Grendal]

I always assumed -- with no supporting evidence -- that the Florida strongback was made at or near the Cape, in Florida.

Does SpaceX make the strongbacks in Hawthorne and then ship them across country?

No clue. I'll ask FB SpaceX where they are made. e-FTW just mentioned large flat objects and a strongback is needed. So guesswork on my part.

 

[e-FTW]

Those things were probably 10 feet by 10 feet max. Two feet high, shaped like turtles. Two of them on the same truck. They had caster wheels. I have pics, but was told not to use them, as I took them on the property (I was not aware of that at the time).

 

[Grendal]

Those things were probably 10 feet by 10 feet max. Two feet high, shaped like turtles. Two of them on the same truck. They had caster wheels. I have pics, but was told not to use them, as I took them on the property (I was not aware of that at the time).

Hmm. That sounds a bit like the COPVs. My WAG would be that they could be new redesigned ones headed for testing in McGregor.

 

[Grendal]

Update. According to Chris B. of NSF (NASA Spaceflight.com), EchoStar has been pushed back to NET January 30th at around midnight because LC-39A isn't quite ready yet.

Chris B - NSF on Twitter

 

[Grendal]

It's looks like the 30th is firming up as the true launch date as long as there are no weather issues. The last delay was because SpaceX was still doing final readiness adjustments to the new launch site that is very near their old LC-40 damaged launch site

Launch time: 0504-0734 GMT (12:04-2:34 a.m. EST) Just to be clear, that is 9:04 PM for the West Coast on Sunday the 29th.
There is a 2 hour and 30 minute launch window for this launch.
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
This is a GTO launch of a 5500 kg satellite, so there will be a landing attempt on OCISLY.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch EchoStar 23 communications satellite for EchoStar Corp. EchoStar 23, based on a spare platform from the canceled CMBStar 1 satellite program, will provide direct-to-home television broadcast services over Brazil.

 

[Grendal]

This just in on EchoStar. There will be no landing attempt for this flight. It is a GTO launch and the satellite is extra heavy. There won't be enough fuel left for a landing attempt.

Twitter

So we're going old school expendable F9 on this one.

It's interesting. I posted the weight of the satellite on the previous post and was going back through the last few GTO launches to compare weights. This satellite is a lot heavier than the JCSAT 14 that had the first successful "hot landed" booster. So I was wondering how they were going to pull it off when this information surfaced.

 

[ICUDoc]

This just in on EchoStar. There will be no landing attempt for this flight. It is a GTO launch and the satellite is extra heavy. There won't be enough fuel left for a landing attempt.

Twitter

So we're going old school expendable F9 on this one.

It's interesting. I posted the weight of the satellite on the previous post and was going back through the last few GTO launches to compare weights. This satellite is a lot heavier than the JCSAT 14 that had the first successful "hot landed" booster. So I was wondering how they were going to pull it off when this information surfaced.

That's a pity- I love the recycling action! That last landing was so great, and I loved the sun-behind-the-landing-booster photo.
But I guess this launch is a way to pay the bills for Spacex.

 

[ecarfan]

There will be no landing attempt for this flight. It is a GTO launch and the satellite is extra heavy. There won't be enough fuel left for a landing attempt.

Yep. Confirmed by Elon yesterday via twitter.


Elon Musk– Verified account ‏@elonmusk
@gdoehne Expendable. Future flights will go on Falcon Heavy or the upgraded Falcon 9.
1:57 PM - 21 Jan 2017

 

[Grendal]

Yep. Confirmed by Elon yesterday via twitter.


Elon Musk– Verified account ‏@elonmusk
@gdoehne Expendable. Future flights will go on Falcon Heavy or the upgraded Falcon 9.
1:57 PM - 21 Jan 2017

The upgraded F9 will be the final major modification to the rocket. Internally it is called block 5. Here is an excerpt from F9 wiki:

Elon Musk announced that there will be a final upgrade to the Falcon 9, Falcon 9 Block 5 (previously known unofficially as Falcon 9 1.3). This upgrade will mainly increase the thrust on the engines to the maximum they can produce and will make some improvements to the landing legs. There will also be some minor improvements to help recovery and reuse, among other smaller things.

Knowing SpaceX and Elon, I can imagine there will still be minor modifications happening with every launch.

After this final iteration of the F9, the company will turn its focus to FH, creating the ITS rocket, and making Dragon 2 work. F9 will become a money making workhorse to pay for all the future developments.

 

[Electroman]

Can someone please explain what 'hot landing' means?

 

[ecarfan]

After this final iteration of the F9, the company will turn its focus to FH, creating the ITS rocket, and making Dragon 2 work. F9 will become a money making workhorse to pay for all the future developments.

Yes, I love the concept of finalizing the F9 design (minor tweaks aside) and turning it into a revenue-generating machine to fund the company mission of colonizing Mars. The F9 launch cost will significantly lower than the competition for years to come (maybe for decades) while generating huge profits for SpaceX.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Can someone please explain what 'hot landing' means?

Coming in REAL fast and hot.