Got info from GFZ, that Dnepr is no longer available as launch vehicle for GRACE-FO. They are currently in negotiations with SpaceX for a Falcon-9 launch.
Quote from: Skyrocket on 08/23/2016 11:24 pmGot info from GFZ, that Dnepr is no longer available as launch vehicle for GRACE-FO. They are currently in negotiations with SpaceX for a Falcon-9 launch.Do we know why?
What if a normal Iridium NEXT flight will be split into 2 and one gets a GRACE-FO satellite while the other gets the other 2 satellites that were meant to launch on a DNEPR?
It's official: launching 75 of our 81 NEXT sats on a total of 8 Falcon 9s. Same cost through 2018 as last plan with Dnepr. Rideshare=smart!
@IridiumBoss it will be new falcon 9 or a reused falcon 9???Matt Desch: New.
announces 8th launch, rideshare with NASA/GFZ to deliver 5 Iridium NEXT satellites to LEO, expected by early 2018.
Iridium strikes deal with GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences to launch five additional spare Iridium NEXT satellites as well as NASA/GFZ's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on (GRACE-FO) MissionMCLEAN, Va., Jan. 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that it has contracted with SpaceX for an eighth Falcon 9 launch. Along for the ride are the twin-satellites of the NASA/GFZ Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, which will be deployed into a separate low-Earth orbit, marking the first rideshare deal for Iridium. An agreement of this kind is economical for all parties, and affords Iridium the ability to launch five additional satellites for its next-generation global satellite network. The rideshare is anticipated to launch out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by early 2018."This is a very smart way to get additional Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. "This launch provides added resiliency to our network for not much more than we had planned originally to launch 72 satellites, including two with Kosmotras." Desch continued, "We are pleased to be sharing a rocket with NASA and GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences for this additional SpaceX launch, and GFZ has been a great business partner throughout this process." Not only is this launch a rare opportunity to ride with NASA, but it also represents a particularly compelling economical solution. The Company had always expected to launch additional satellites after the Iridium NEXT construction was completed to utilize the nine ground spares built into the program. This rideshare represents a material savings from other supplemental launch options due to the efficiency of sharing the rocket with GRACE-FO, and the incremental cost during the Iridium NEXT construction period is immaterial when considering the avoidance of unspent amounts contemplated under the Kosmotras program. It also affords Iridium the opportunity to rearrange its launch and satellite drifting plan and launch these five satellites directly into their operational orbital plane while increasing the number of planned in-orbit spares by three satellites. Further, this development allows Iridium to complete the whole operational constellation at a faster rate than it would have with seven launches. Iridium will still consider launching satellites with Kosmotras once approvals are available. Iridium NEXT is the company's next-generation global satellite constellation. Replacing Iridium's existing network of low-Earth orbit satellites, Iridium NEXT is poised to re-energize the mobile satellite industry with faster speeds and higher throughputs for all industry verticals. The launch of the Iridium NEXT constellation represents an unprecedented feat for satellite communications, and has been coined the largest "tech refresh" of its kind.The Company has contracted with SpaceX for seven dedicated Iridium NEXT launches, deploying 70 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-Earth orbit, across a 13-month period out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This eighth launch will increase the constellation's count to 75 total in-orbit satellites, nine of which will serve as on-orbit spares. The first set of Iridium NEXT satellites was successfully launched on January 14th and is currently under test in orbit. For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.iridiumnext.com.GRACE-FO is a successor to the joint NASA/DLR/GFZ GRACE mission, which launched in 2002 and is still in operation. The twin GRACE-FO satellites, which operate in tandem, will continue GRACE's legacy of tracking changes in the distribution of Earth's mass over time by creating monthly maps of Earth's gravity field. The movements of masses of water, ice, air, and the solid Earth are driven by processes such as precipitation, droughts, floods, the melting of snow and ice, ground water usage and storage, and even tectonic events such as large earthquakes. GRACE is improving our understanding and knowledge of a variety of important Earth system processes: the terrestrial water cycle and changes in ice sheets, glaciers and sea level, surface and deep-ocean currents; and variations in Earth's lithosphere and mantle density. These measurements provide a unique view of the Earth system and have far-reaching benefits to society and the world's population. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
@IridiumComm : We're paying @SpaceX $67.9M for 8th Falcon 9 launch in mid-2018. GFZ Germany funds $31.8M of that to carry 2 GRACE-FO sats.
Quote@IridiumComm: We pd Kosmotras Moscow $38.6M for 2-sat launch on Dnepr. Launch may never happen, & $$ may be lost.https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/835046295941353473
@IridiumComm: We pd Kosmotras Moscow $38.6M for 2-sat launch on Dnepr. Launch may never happen, & $$ may be lost.
So because of sharing the launch cost, the 8th F9 for Iridium is cheaper than the previous planned (now doubtful) Dnepr launch:Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 02/24/2017 08:08 amQuote@IridiumComm: We pd Kosmotras Moscow $38.6M for 2-sat launch on Dnepr. Launch may never happen, & $$ may be lost.https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/835046295941353473
cheaper on F9 because launching 5 Iridium sats versus previous plan of launching 2 on Dnepr. Then couple that savings with a large 2 sat rideshare and price goes down.
Quote from: russianhalo117 on 02/24/2017 08:11 pmcheaper on F9 because launching 5 Iridium sats versus previous plan of launching 2 on Dnepr. Then couple that savings with a large 2 sat rideshare and price goes down.Right; $36.1M cost to Iridium for the launch versus $38.6M on Dnepr. In terms of cost per satellite it gets even better; $7.22M vs $19.3M. $7M/per is pretty close to the cost to Iridium with the current contract, so it is a good deal for them that they found a way to get the extra birds on orbit at a similar price.
.@AirbusSpace tested the dispensers for the NASA/GFZ GRACE-FO mission. Both science sats launch w/ 5 @IridiumComm sats on a @SpaceX rocket.
Tweet from Caleb Henry:Quote.@AirbusSpace tested the dispensers for the NASA/GFZ GRACE-FO mission. Both science sats launch w/ 5 @IridiumComm sats on a @SpaceX rocket.
Quote from: gongora on 08/16/2017 02:29 pmTweet from Caleb Henry:Quote.@AirbusSpace tested the dispensers for the NASA/GFZ GRACE-FO mission. Both science sats launch w/ 5 @IridiumComm sats on a @SpaceX rocket.So for this launch, they will not be using SpaceX dispensers for GRACE-FO / Idriduim NEXT Launch?