At just 2.6 tonnes, is this the lightest ever land based satellite launcher to reach the launch pad?
Quote from: Galactic Penguin SST on 12/08/2016 02:22 pmAt just 2.6 tonnes, is this the lightest ever land based satellite launcher to reach the launch pad? Does that include the "Stage Zero" booster? - Ed Kyle
After looking at the above linked panorama & satellite views of Uchinoura, it appears to be built on the site of the old Mu pad.
Is the pad newly built for this launch? Prior launches looked like they flew from a truck-based platform.
Hmmm...According to http://spacelaunchreport.com/padsites.html (Hat tip, Ed!) there are two pads at Uchinoura. One is the former M-V pad, now rebuilt for Epsilon. The other is on the hill above it.Ed has it labeled as the former Mu pad - perhaps it is a sounding rocket facility instead?
Quote from: sdsds on 01/09/2017 05:24 amIs the pad newly built for this launch? Prior launches looked like they flew from a truck-based platform.There is indeed a new rail launcher at this site. I do not know, if it was built on purpose for this special launch.
Quote from: GClark on 01/09/2017 01:59 pmHmmm...According to http://spacelaunchreport.com/padsites.html (Hat tip, Ed!) there are two pads at Uchinoura. One is the former M-V pad, now rebuilt for Epsilon. The other is on the hill above it.Ed has it labeled as the former Mu pad - perhaps it is a sounding rocket facility instead?That what Ed has labled "former Mu pad" is the Sounding rocket pad (Lambda, S-310, S-520). This facility has apparently two launchers - the one sheltered in the concrete structure (used for S-310) and the open air launcher (for S-520 and SS-520). The latter was originally only a concrete pad for a mobile launcher, but has now a firmly installed rail launcher (as seen in the SS-520-4 images)