SpaceX (general discussion)

[sferrin]

The notion that China can't possibly invent anything new and must be stealing all their technology from the US is incredibly shortsighted. They've got a couple of billion people to work with and have spent decades of effort developing their capabilities. That's finally paying off. We need to stop being surprised that they can do advanced science and technology with their own resources.

Agreed.

Did somebody say they couldn't?

 

[Flyaway]

Starlink from Space X.

SpaceX set to launch first prototype Starlink satellites for global internet

Geekwire

Documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission indicate that ground stations will be housed at SpaceX facilities in Redmond and Brewster, Wash., as well as at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., and facilities in McGregor and Brownsville in Texas. Another ground station is to be placed at Tesla’s headquarters in Fremont, Calif., which Musk heads as CEO.

SpaceX says it will also be testing satellite communications with receiving terminals built into mobile vans.

SpaceX has kept mum about many of the details relating to Starlink. Outside observers have had to piece together most of the information from required government filings and from insider forums such as NASASpaceflight.com and Reddit r/SpaceX.

 

[Triton]

http://www.whereisroadster.com/

 

[sferrin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AaTfQcte8U

 

[fredymac]

Wednesday morning's launch may include an attempt to recover the fairings. The delays for the launch have apparently involved the fairings which feature cold gas thrusters and a GPS guided parachute. A fairing catcher boat was spotted in San Pedro with a net hoisted over the support arms.

 

[sferrin]

Wednesday morning's launch may include an attempt to recover the fairings. The delays for the launch have apparently involved the fairings which feature cold gas thrusters and a GPS guided parachute.

There is video out there (I think from the last CA launch, where they landed in the water) where you can see the fairing sections using cold gas thrusters to maneuver.

 

[Michel Van]

here is the video around at 58 sec you see thruster of fairing operate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PszzmDyL1o8

 

[Flyaway]

SpaceX Falcon 9 set for PAZ launch with Starlink demo and new fairing

SpaceX will debut an upgraded payload fairing for the Falcon 9 rocket when they return to action Wednesday with the launch of Spain’s Paz satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch, which will also carry the first demonstration satellites for SpaceX’s own satellite internet constellation, is targeting an instantaneous launch opportunity at 06:17 Pacific Time (14:17 UTC).

Paz is a radar imaging satellite which will be operated by Spanish company Hisdesat. The spacecraft will provide day and night, all-weather imaging capabilities for Hisdesat’s customer, Spain’s Ministry of Defence.

The launch of Paz had previously been scheduled to take place last Sunday. However, SpaceX announced a delay on Saturday to the next available date: Wednesday.

In announcing this delay, SpaceX confirmed that the rocket would fly with an upgraded payload fairing and that the reason for the delay was to give additional time for checkouts on this part of the vehicle.

The upgrade is understood – although unconfirmed by SpaceX – to be Fairing Version 2 – or “Fairing 2.0” – a new version of the protective shroud expected to improve its survivability for post-launch recovery attempts, and to be reusable on future missions.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/spacex-falcon-9-paz-launch-starlink-demo-new-fairing/

 

[Flyaway]

Today’s launch scrubbed due to upper level winds.

 

[FighterJock]

Today’s launch scrubbed due to upper level winds.

Any idea as to when the rescheduled launch will be Flyaway?

 

[sferrin]

Today’s launch scrubbed due to upper level winds.

Any idea as to when the rescheduled launch will be Flyaway?

Tomorrow, same time.

 

[sferrin]

As suspected, SpaceX confirmed they're going to try to recover the fairing on this flight.

 

[TomS]

No word yet on whether they caught it. I suspect that means they didn't.

 

[sienar]

No word yet on whether they caught it. I suspect that means they didn't.

It missed by a few hundred meters

 

[fredymac]

If a GPS guided parachute wants to head upwind it may not have the means to get there. In cases where the planned landing spot winds up being upwind of the re-entry path, they may need the ability to uplink a revised target location where the catch boat can meet it.

It’s hard to believe these fairings cost ~$5M. I suppose the construction process must be labor intensive or the material is expensive due to the weight/pressure load requirements.

 

[merriman]

The fairing side of the recovery system obviously worked. Good possibility that it shipped little if any salt-water. As long as they land these things in a state-one sea, why play catch with the net-boat?

Check out the last reel of Dark Star. Not far removed from what Musk is doing with his fairing tests.

David

 

[TomS]

The fairing side of the recovery system obviously worked. Good possibility that it shipped little if any salt-water. As long as they land these things in a state-one sea, why play catch with the net-boat?

Basically because as soon as the structure hits salt water, the refurbishment process becomes much more elaborate.

 

[Flyaway]

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/966703261699854336

First two Starlink demo satellites, called Tintin A & B, deployed and communicating to Earth stations

Video on the above link.

The half of the fairing floating about on the sea looks like a giant coracle.

 

[NeilChapman]

The fairing side of the recovery system obviously worked. Good possibility that it shipped little if any salt-water. As long as they land these things in a state-one sea, why play catch with the net-boat?

Basically because as soon as the structure hits salt water, the refurbishment process becomes much more elaborate.

I wonder how slow it's descending? They need a Spiderman web-shooter or a giant chameleon to guide it in!

 

[Flyaway]

Brazil's defense minister says SpaceX, Boeing interested in launching from Amazon base

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1G62BG

 

[TomS]

Note that SpaceX is denying any interest in launching from Brazil. They have enough on their plate trying to develop the Texas launch site.

 

[Michel Van]

Note that SpaceX is denying any interest in launching from Brazil. They have enough on their plate trying to develop the Texas launch site.

For the moment Tesla installed there solarpower supply for launch Site

source
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43968.1320

 

[Flyaway]

Article with some recovered fairing pictures.

SpaceX’s recovered fairing spotted sailing into port on Mr Steven

Posted on February 23, 2018

Just 24 hours after gently landing in the ocean, SpaceX recovery technicians have successfully recovered one half of an intact Falcon payload fairing for the first time ever. Photos of the return to Port of San Pedro in Southern California, captured by Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin, show that the halve recovered is in amazing condition ...

https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-recovered-fairing-spotted-mr-steven-boat/

 

[Flyaway]

Standing down from this weekend's launch attempt to conduct additional testing on the fairing’s pressurization system. Once complete, and pending range availability, we will confirm a new targeted launch date.

https://mobile.twitter.com/SpaceX/status/967270883713679360

 

[Flyaway]

First Falcon 9 Block 5 booster readying for static fire at McGregor; paving way for rapid reuse

SpaceX is working towards a major milestone on their road to rapid and inexpensive reusability. The first Block 5 Falcon 9 first stage is on the test stand at their McGregor, Texas test facility as it prepares for a test fire. The booster – core 1046 – was first seen on Interstate 8 in Yuma, Arizona, being transported from the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California to their McGregor test site. It is now standing tall on the test stand ahead of a Static Fire this week.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/02/first-falcon-9-block-5-readying-static-fire-mcgregor-rapid-reuse/

 

[Flyaway]

As a Space X launch for NASA this article seems appropriate to this thread.

TESS - the latest exoplanet finder - in final preparations for launch

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/03/tess-exoplanet-finder-final-preparations-launch/

 

[sferrin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0FZIwabctw

Finally shows the core 1st stage hit the water. (1:10)

 

[Archibald]

The author of the video should really cut back on the caffein

 

[Flyaway]

SpaceX’s most recent launch carried a secret military-funded experiment

A previously-undisclosed payload funded by a U.S. military research agency rode into orbit with a Spanish communications satellite on SpaceX’s most recent Falcon 9 rocket launch March 6, officials said Friday.

The small spacecraft was fastened inside the Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite, then ejected soon after the Falcon 9’s primary payload deployed in orbit following liftoff from Cape Canaveral.

Officials from Space Systems/Loral and NovaWurks, two companies involved in the project, acknowledged the existence of the secret secondary satellite after publicly-available orbital data published by the U.S. military registered an unexpected object attributed to Tuesday’s launch named PODSat.

The companies declined to release details about the secondary satellite’s mission or design, and a spokesperson for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, did not respond to multiple requests for information regarding the PODSat mission.

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/03/12/spacexs-most-recent-launch-carried-a-secret-military-funded-experiment/

 

[FighterJock]

It would be interesting to know what that experiment was that SpaceX launched. I suppose that it will only be a matter of time.

 

[fredymac]

Summary of Falcon 9 evolution and final “block 5” form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9A1Ny6B310

 

[FighterJock]

Summary of Falcon 9 evolution and final “block 5” form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9A1Ny6B310

Interesting video fredymac, it is a wonder why SpaceX are even bothering with the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket when they said that all future production of the Falcon 9 would be stopped and all future production would be concentrated on the BFR? ??? :-\

 

[fredymac]

Interesting video fredymac, it is a wonder why SpaceX are even bothering with the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket when they said that all future production of the Falcon 9 would be stopped and all future production would be concentrated on the BFR? ??? :-\

Block 5 is the full implementation of reusability which makes it a valuable demonstrator and foundation for BFR. I would guess Falcon has at least 4 years of revenue making left and probably more.

 

[SteveO]

Watched that video earlier today and if I remember correctly they said the block 5 is the design freeze point for Falcon 9 and after seven successful launches of the block 5 standard it can be classed as human spaceflight/astronaut rated.

Design and engineering efforts switch to BFR while block 5 is in production I believe.

 

[Hobbes]

Interesting video fredymac, it is a wonder why SpaceX are even bothering with the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket when they said that all future production of the Falcon 9 would be stopped and all future production would be concentrated on the BFR? ??? :-\

No, SpaceX said all future development will be stopped. They have at least 50 launches on the manifest for the next 4 years, and can't just postpone those indefinitely until BFR is operational.

 

[FighterJock]

Interesting video fredymac, it is a wonder why SpaceX are even bothering with the Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket when they said that all future production of the Falcon 9 would be stopped and all future production would be concentrated on the BFR? ??? :-\

No, SpaceX said all future development will be stopped. They have at least 50 launches on the manifest for the next 4 years, and can't just postpone those indefinitely until BFR is operational.

So any ideas as to when BFR would likely be ready for operational use?

 

[sferrin]

My SWAG would be "before 2025 but not much".

edit: I'm wondering how much trouble they'll have with the heat shield. The upper stage is far larger than the Shuttle Orbiter and it has to deal with higher reentry speeds. (Coming back from the moon - something like 25k mph- and from Mars.)

 

[Moose]

My SWAG would be "before 2025 but not much".

edit: I'm wondering how much trouble they'll have with the heat shield. The upper stage is far larger than the Shuttle Orbiter and it has to deal with higher reentry speeds. (Coming back from the moon - something like 25k mph- and from Mars.)

Their PICA-X is supposed to be quite hardy, from all I've read. But I've seen talk on NSF of a cooled metallic heat shield so I guess I'll just wait and see.

 

[Michel Van]

My SWAG would be "before 2025 but not much".

edit: I'm wondering how much trouble they'll have with the heat shield. The upper stage is far larger than the Shuttle Orbiter and it has to deal with higher reentry speeds. (Coming back from the moon - something like 25k mph- and from Mars.)

Here is SpaceX again innovative:
they took NASA "Phenolic impregnated carbon ablator" short PICA and improved it to PICA-X
standard lightweight PICA withstand 12.4 km/s (28,000 mph) at 135 km altitude with Stardust sample-return capsule

While PICA-X ver 1 & 2 were innovative in more easier production and lower cost on Dragon 1 & 2
now work SpaceX on PICA-X version 3, improves upon its heat shielding capacity, guess what for BFR !

Dan Rasky: about SpaceX's Rapid Prototyping Design Process in 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMLDAgDNOhk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkVzFhV5c-8

Source Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry#PICA-X

 

[Flyaway]

SpaceX wins lucrative new contracts to fly GPS and earth-imaging satellites

The US Air Force has announced a deal with SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, to fly three of the newest generation of Global Positioning System satellites into space, at an average cost of $97 million per flight. The service also contracted with United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, for two launches carrying space-surveillance satellites and some experimental hardware, at an average cost of $177 million per flight.

Yet in the commercial world, price is king: SpaceX also announced a deal with DigitalGlobe, a satellite imaging company, to launch two new satellites in 2020, on previously-flown Falcon 9 rockets. While those prices were not disclosed, Musk has said previously that flying on a reused rocket could come with a 30% discount. SpaceX is the only company operating reusable boosters, and has flown six missions using them.

https://qz.com/1229463/elon-musks-spacex-wins-lucrative-new-contracts-to-fly-gps-and-earth-imaging-satellites-for-the-us-air-force/