Author Topic: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion Thread 1  (Read 790157 times)

Offline Comga

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #80 on: 09/22/2017 01:53 am »
There's a line somewhere between "Relevant Discussion" and "No Speculation" - we may be nearing that fuzzy boundary ....

Right
This is rabidly veering into rampant speculation.  All we know about FH is the NET date.  No one has spotted anything relevant at LC-40 or LC-39A.  No official FH announcements. KoreasSat-5A has its own threads.

Mods: Delete this if you wish.  It's admittedly not an update or a discussion of an update, which we haven't had since perhaps gongora's post two weeks ago.
I am as anxious as anyone for this to happen but can we stop posting questions here?
When there is something, it will be posted here.  Asking won't make it happen any sooner.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline leetdan

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #81 on: 09/22/2017 03:27 am »
Is this post considered less-than-definitive? (Re: SES-11 on 39 / Koreasat on 40)

L2 KSC schedule has updated for the first time since Irma:

Oct 2 is the NET.

39A is the pad (last one before FH).

Sept 29 is the Static Fire NET.

Offline nisse

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #82 on: 09/26/2017 07:15 pm »
Some FH update here.
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/09/spacex-realign-manifest-double-launch-salvo/

Quote
Depending on any potential get-ahead work SpaceX can conduct on the 39A TEL inbetween Falcon 9 mission, it is also becoming more unlikely Falcon Heavy will debut in November.

The November target was always notional based on the milestones the new rocket will have to pass before it even reaches launch day.

Offline Comga

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #83 on: 09/26/2017 08:06 pm »
Quote
Tweet from Stephen Clark
SpaceX sets Oct. 7 & 9 launch dates for next two Falcon 9 flights from East and West Coasts. Koreasat 5A in late Oct. confirmed from pad 39A

Unless SpaceX can reduce the estimated 60 days minimum rework for 39A, that puts the FH demo NET late December which means likely 2018.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #84 on: 09/26/2017 08:09 pm »
Obviously November is extremely unlikely but we might as well wait a little longer for an updated estimate before we start changing the listed date.

Offline envy887

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #85 on: 10/12/2017 01:31 pm »
Three SpaceX leaders seem pretty confident that FH will fly in December:

Elon at IAC 2017.

Gwynne at Stanford yesterday:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=43934.msg1735739#msg1735739

Tom Ochinero, in this article by Peter B. de Selding:
https://www.spaceintelreport.com/spacex-reassures-commercial-satellite-market-falcon-9-wont-soon-scrapped-bfr/

Offline abaddon

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #86 on: 10/12/2017 01:39 pm »
...and, in related news, there are now zero scheduled launches of Falcon 9 in December.  So it does seem likely they are serious about at least getting Falcon Heavy on the pad at 39-A this calendar year.

Maybe also a sign that SLC-40 isn't going to be ready until next year.  Or maybe they just want all hands on deck for the Falcon Heavy maiden launch campaign.
« Last Edit: 10/12/2017 01:39 pm by abaddon »

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #87 on: 10/12/2017 01:48 pm »
We really don't know yet if there will be East Coast Falcon 9 launches in December.  Right now I could just as easily see them clearing out November instead of December.

Offline envy887

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #88 on: 10/12/2017 01:58 pm »
We really don't know yet if there will be East Coast Falcon 9 launches in December.  Right now I could just as easily see them clearing out November instead of December.

If CRS-13 is Nov 28 and it bumps HispaSat back, I could easily seen both dropping into December. But both are tentatively expected to go from 40, so 39A could go into full FH demo mode once KoreaSat launches in a few weeks.

Offline octavo

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #89 on: 10/13/2017 02:17 pm »


...and, in related news, there are now zero scheduled launches of Falcon 9 in December.  So it does seem likely they are serious about at least getting Falcon Heavy on the pad at 39-A this calendar year.

Maybe also a sign that SLC-40 isn't going to be ready until next year.  Or maybe they just want all hands on deck for the Falcon Heavy maiden launch campaign.

Crossposting:

Yes. According official FCC application issued last week (3th Oct) SpaceX plans launch CRS-13 mission from Complex 40.

They're serious about late Nov for slc - 40

Offline Michael Baylor

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #90 on: 10/15/2017 01:54 am »
A look at progress on the new landing zone over the last month.

Offline vaporcobra

A look at progress on the new landing zone over the last month.

Worth a repost.

Offline Comga

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #92 on: 10/15/2017 04:23 am »
The last two images make a nice sequence.
It indeed looks like SpaceX started with the 200' square.
They poured the arc (or "lune") farthest from the road before the image above.
Then they poured the "side arcs" before the image above that one.
If we have the dates from the EXIFs we could guess if they have the last piece in place already.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline vaporcobra

The last two images make a nice sequence.
It indeed looks like SpaceX started with the 200' square.
They poured the arc (or "lune") farthest from the road before the image above.
Then they poured the "side arcs" before the image above that one.
If we have the dates from the EXIFs we could guess if they have the last piece in place already.

I wish Instagram preserved original EXIF data :( It was posted on 9 October and I expect it was taken a couple hours or days before at most.

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #94 on: 10/20/2017 07:29 pm »
core 1025 headed to the cape!

https://imgur.com/gallery/RJfT5

Online Herb Schaltegger

core 1025 headed to the cape!

https://imgur.com/gallery/RJfT5

That's exciting an all, but weren't we told weeks ago (longer maybe?) that all three FH cores were already there? 
Ad astra per aspirin ...

Offline old_sellsword

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #96 on: 10/20/2017 10:10 pm »
core 1025 headed to the cape!

https://imgur.com/gallery/RJfT5

That's exciting an all, but weren't we told weeks ago (longer maybe?) that all three FH cores were already there?

Yes, but this one hadn’t gone back to Texas yet for testing. Now they’re all at the Cape and they’ve all been tested.

Offline shuttlefan

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #97 on: 10/21/2017 02:43 pm »
core 1025 headed to the cape!

https://imgur.com/gallery/RJfT5

That's exciting an all, but weren't we told weeks ago (longer maybe?) that all three FH cores were already there?

Yes, but this one hadn’t gone back to Texas yet for testing. Now they’re all at the Cape and they’ve all been tested.

Are they all in the Pad 39-A Horizontal Integration Facility?

Offline crandles57

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #98 on: 10/22/2017 10:04 pm »
http://spaceflight101.com/calendar/

has Dec 30 for Falcon Heavy Demo.
But it also says NET December and perhaps the new format is forcing them to put a date in, so it probably doesn't mean anything.

(Similar for HispaSat shown as Dec 17 but again says NET December.)

Offline mdeep

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Re: SpaceX FH : Falcon Heavy Demo : early 2018 : Discussion
« Reply #99 on: 10/23/2017 02:12 am »
http://spaceflight101.com/calendar/

has Dec 30 for Falcon Heavy Demo.
But it also says NET December and perhaps the new format is forcing them to put a date in, so it probably doesn't mean anything.

(Similar for HispaSat shown as Dec 17 but again says NET December.)

It looks like their software isn't setup to handle vague NET dates.

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