“SpaceX does not launch on schedule,” Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith (commander, 45th Space Wing) said Sept. 20 during a space warfighting panel at the annual Air Force Association Air Space Cyber Conference. “They launch on readiness.”This launch-when-we’re-ready-to-go attitude has had an impact on SpaceX operational needs and costs, said Monteith, who also is director of the Air Force Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.“They have forced us — and I mean forced us — to get better, infinitely better, at what we do,” he said. “We are adopting commercial business practices and becom[ing] more efficient and more affordable.“Working with them, we have been able to reduce our main launch footprint by 60 percent and reduce the cost of a single launch by over 50 percent,” he said. “Based on the autonomous flight safety system they developed with us they will help us get to 48 launches a year.”
Key part:Quote from: Mike Fabey“SpaceX does not launch on schedule,” Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith (commander, 45th Space Wing) said Sept. 20 during a space warfighting panel at the annual Air Force Association Air Space Cyber Conference. “They launch on readiness.”This launch-when-we’re-ready-to-go attitude has had an impact on SpaceX operational needs and costs, said Monteith, who also is director of the Air Force Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.“They have forced us — and I mean forced us — to get better, infinitely better, at what we do,” he said. “We are adopting commercial business practices and becom[ing] more efficient and more affordable.“Working with them, we have been able to reduce our main launch footprint by 60 percent and reduce the cost of a single launch by over 50 percent,” he said. “Based on the autonomous flight safety system they developed with us they will help us get to 48 launches a year.”High praise from USAF. And a 180 degrees reversal from USAF attitude towards SpaceX during certification.This also goes to fly in the face of some folks on this forum who claimed that the LSP has to conform to USAF wishes, no matter what. Turns out it is not quite that one-sided.What can be parsed as well from Monteith's remarks is that "launching on schedule" is no longer the holy grail with regards to NSS launches.
Quote from: woods170 on 09/21/2017 06:43 amKey part:Quote from: Mike Fabey“SpaceX does not launch on schedule,” Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith (commander, 45th Space Wing) said Sept. 20 during a space warfighting panel at the annual Air Force Association Air Space Cyber Conference. “They launch on readiness.”This launch-when-we’re-ready-to-go attitude has had an impact on SpaceX operational needs and costs, said Monteith, who also is director of the Air Force Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.“They have forced us — and I mean forced us — to get better, infinitely better, at what we do,” he said. “We are adopting commercial business practices and becom[ing] more efficient and more affordable.“Working with them, we have been able to reduce our main launch footprint by 60 percent and reduce the cost of a single launch by over 50 percent,” he said. “Based on the autonomous flight safety system they developed with us they will help us get to 48 launches a year.”High praise from USAF. And a 180 degrees reversal from USAF attitude towards SpaceX during certification.This also goes to fly in the face of some folks on this forum who claimed that the LSP has to conform to USAF wishes, no matter what. Turns out it is not quite that one-sided.What can be parsed as well from Monteith's remarks is that "launching on schedule" is no longer the holy grail with regards to NSS launches.I don't think the article says anything about NSS launches -- which, I suspect, still want to launch on schedule. This talks about the range responding to SpaceX who have a manifest backlog and must get as many launches off as they are ready to fly. As we saw in OTV-5 and the CRS-flights, the launch sequence/schedule revolves around the customer that has a fixed timetable.
The Department of Defense uses space systems in support of air, land, and sea forces to deter and defend against hostile actions directed at the interests of the United States. The Intelligence community uses space systems to collectintelligence. These programs, as a group, are referred to as National Security Space (NSS).
The point is that you can have some 'fixed' schedule payloads on the manifest and flow other payloads around them.
Quote from: AncientU on 09/21/2017 01:38 pmThe point is that you can have some 'fixed' schedule payloads on the manifest and flow other payloads around them. No, that is not the point. The point is moving the actual launch date to when they are ready vs keeping it on a fixed date (i.e. moving up a few days).BTW, CRS is fixed schedule
Quote from: Jim on 09/21/2017 01:41 pmQuote from: AncientU on 09/21/2017 01:38 pmThe point is that you can have some 'fixed' schedule payloads on the manifest and flow other payloads around them. No, that is not the point. The point is moving the actual launch date to when they are ready vs keeping it on a fixed date (i.e. moving up a few days).BTW, CRS is fixed scheduleI know CRS is fixed schedule -- the above question was rhetorical (if you read it before saying 'wrong').
Spacex has more flown boosters than it knows what to do with them and has been breaking them apart and scrapping them.
Quote from: Jim on 09/21/2017 02:05 pmSpacex has more flown boosters than it knows what to do with them and has been breaking them apart and scrapping them.I am sure SpaceX loves to have this kind of problem... And solution is on horizon already - Block 5 that is supposed to be actually reusable more than once.
May I just say, thank goodness for the well-reasoned commentary (even in disagreements) available here.
The SN comments sections have been a cesspool lately.
Wrong take aways. The launch on readiness vs schedule means the actual day of launch. Other contractors will keep to a launch date, Spacex will move up a few days, but it is still within a "launch period" much like a planetary. Launch on schedule has nothing to do with NSS specifically. NSS will mostly be launch on schedule because satellite production is programmed, especially for new constellations or new blocks of spacecraft. Even a satellite in storage takes a finite amount of time to prepare for launch. MUOS, SBIRS, AEHF, WGS, etc launches were scheduled based on production. NROL-76 was launched on schedule (within a certain period)
Given the flexibility applied by SpaceX to it's launch schedule it is a safe bet that the same will happen for the upcoming GPS launches.
Literally, everything in moderation...
Quote from: woods170 on 09/21/2017 08:12 pmGiven the flexibility applied by SpaceX to it's launch schedule it is a safe bet that the same will happen for the upcoming GPS launches.GPS launches are probably going to slip quite a bit anyway. Right now it's almost impossible for SpaceX to launch to a schedule because they're so far behind and constantly moving through new hardware and pad designs. Once everything settles down in 2019 or so (they'll be doing good to clear the backlog by the end of 2018) then it will be interesting to see how their launch scheduling evolves.