Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 : JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 : December 16/17, 2019 - DISCUSSION  (Read 48633 times)

Online gongora

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Discussion Thread for launch of JCSAT-18/Kacific-1

NSF Threads for JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 : Discussion / Updates
NSF Articles for JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 :

Successful launch December 16, 2019 at 7:10pm EST (00:10 UTC on the 17th) on Falcon 9 (booster 1056.3) to (subsynchronous) GTO from SLC-40.  ASDS landing was successful.  The fairing catch attempts were unsuccessful.
The satellite is based on the 702MP bus.  The expected mass is 6956kg.



Quote
Boeing Press Release
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 20, 2017 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] will build a 702 satellite to expand communication for mobile telephone, data and internet users throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The satellite, owned and operated by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation and Kacific Broadband Satellites, has two distinct payloads. The JCSAT-18 payload will improve mobile and broadband services for SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation customers in Asia Pacific including Far East Russia. The Kacific-1 payload for Kacific Broadband Satellites will provide high-speed Ka-band satellite broadband internet to more than 20 countries in South East Asia and the Pacific.

JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 is scheduled to launch in 2019.

“The scalable Boeing 702 satellite is a flight-proven design that we are evolving to meet the future needs of our customers,” said Mark Spiwak, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. “The combined JCSAT-18 and Kacific-1 satellite has the flexibility to accommodate various business requirements to meet the needs of both SKY Perfect JSAT and Kacific.”

Since the 1980s, Boeing has built 10 satellites for the JSAT Corporation and Space Communications Corporation, both now part of SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation.

Kacific press release for satellite order
SpaceNews story on satellite order

Quote
Kacific selects SpaceX to provide launch service

Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific) has selected SpaceX as the launch provider for its Kacific-1 satellite, which is being built by The Boeing Company.

Kacific-1 will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9, a two-stage orbit-class rocket designed from the ground-up for maximum reliability and reusability.

“SpaceX has a breadth of vision that appeals to us,” says Christian Patouraux, Kacific CEO. “The company is committed to changing the way people think about space and the possibilities it represents. Signing with SpaceX as our launch service provider is a major step towards delivering our own vision. We look forward to seeing Kacific-1 atop a Falcon 9 Rocket in 2019.”

“SpaceX is proud to partner with Kacific on the milestone launch of the company’s first satellite, Kacific-1.” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. “We appreciate their confidence in our proven capabilities and look forward to delivering their satellite to orbit.”

In February 2017 Kacific placed an order with The Boeing Company for the Kacific-1 satellite. Based on the reliable 702 satellite platform, Kacific-1 is designed to deliver high speed broadband via 56 narrow Ka-band beams, with the most powerful signal level ever achieved in a commercial satellite in the South East Asia and Pacific regions.

Kacific-1/JCSat-18 on Gunter's Space Page



Other SpaceX resources on NASASpaceflight:
   SpaceX News Articles (Recent)
   SpaceX News Articles from 2006 (Including numerous exclusive Elon interviews)
   SpaceX Dragon Articles
   SpaceX Missions Section (with Launch Manifest and info on past and future missions)

   L2 SpaceX Section

[Photo courtesy of Boeing, obtained by Chris Bergin via media accreditation]
« Last Edit: 12/17/2019 12:09 am by gongora »

Online gongora

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[SpaceNews] SpaceX wins Kacific, Sky Perfect Jsat condosat launch, new or used rocket TBD
Quote
In a Sept. 5 statement to SpaceNews, Kacific said the operator and Sky Perfect Jsat have yet to decide whether the launch will use a new or pre-flown Falcon 9.

“We have not yet made that decision, and will do so with our launch partners,” Kacific said.

Online gongora

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Tweet from Boeing Defense:
Quote
New #Boeing 702 satellite for SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation and Kacific Broadband Satellites passes critical design review, moving into production phase toward 2019 launch. #satellites

(found via retweet by Caleb Henry)

Offline vaporcobra

Launch is NET late 2019.

Quote
Kacific’s contract includes a planned upgrade for Timor-Leste’s healthcare broadband services following the activation of the operator’s new Kacific-1 satellite, which is scheduled for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late 2019.

https://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2018/06/26/kacific-to-connect-healthcare-system-in-timor-leste/

Offline vaporcobra

Quote
The Boeing satellite factory has announced that the Kacific-1 satellite construction has moved into initial testing stages. The satellite is owned by Kacific, a private company registered in Vanuatu, and is scheduled for launch in 2019. The satellite will offer broadband services for Vanuatu customers and to the Pacific islands.

Boeing has started integration and testing of the Kacific-1 payload, which consists of the communications electronics. It has also started integration and testing of the satellite platform which includes the power and propulsion systems. The communications antennas are being prepared for range tests starting in the next few weeks.

https://www.telecompaper.com/news/kacific-1-satellite-enters-initial-testing-stage--1267703

Online gongora

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[Space News] Kacific to double in size as first satellite launch nears, mulls second satellite
Quote
Patouraux said Kacific-1, a high-throughput Ka-band “condosat” that shares the same chassis as Japanese operator Sky Perfect JSAT’s JCSAT-18, is slated for launch in the third quarter of 2019. Boeing is building the satellite.
...
Originally announced with 57 beams, Patouraux said Kacific and Boeing finalized the design of Kacific-1 with 56 beams after a final tweak to the satellite’s coverage in 2017. All but two beams have pre-launch customers, he said.

Offline GWR64

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Quote
KACIFIC1 HIGH THROUGHPUT SATELLITE

Kacific1 is a next-generation geostationary satellite operating in the Ka-band frequency spectrum. The satellite will launch in late 2019 and stream low-cost, high-speed, reliable, and stable satellite broadband via 56 powerful spot beams. Wide reaching coverage will extend over 25 countries in Asia Pacific with populations spread across their many islands, mountainous and rural regions. Utilising advanced ground segment technologies, Kacific1 will deliver fast internet speeds with a robust quality of service on a small user terminals at a jaw dropping price per month.

MANUFACTURED BY BOEING. LAUNCHED BY SPACEX

Designed and built by Boeing, the Kacific1 payload is supported by the reliable 702 MP platform. Kacific1 will launch atop a two-stage SpaceX Falcon9 rocket, which will ultimately bring Kacific1 into geostationary orbit.

Kacific and SKY Perfect JSAT share the cost of the satellite platform in a condominium arrangement. This platform supports the Kacific1 payload and a payload of SKY Perfect JSAT, which allows both parties to realise efficiencies in manufacturing and launch costs.

Kacific1’s coverage was designed with additional capacity expansion in mind. By launching other follow-on satellites into different orbital positions, Kacific will be able to provide additional capacity in the Kacific1 coverage areas requiring more, as well as increase the total coverage area.

HIGH THROUGHPUT

Kacific1 is a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) because it reuses the same spectrum (frequencies) multiple times in the 56 spot beams. This stands in contrast to traditional FSS satellites with wide area beams that can use the spectrum only once. In a sense, an HTS is similar to a mobile cellular system that reuses frequencies between cells. Consequently, the total HTS throughput is much higher than an FSS satellite resulting in greater spectral efficiency and therefore lower cost per bandwidth. Modern technologies such as adaptive coding and modulation (ACM), signal pre-distortion and uplink power control are used to increase the throughput and overall availability, and, ultimately, improve the quality of service and user experience.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

    56 high throughput spot beams
    Delivering up to 60 Gbps of broadband capacity
    550 to 600 ms latency
    Ka-band system
    Geostationary orbit
    6,800 kg at launch
    13 kw of electric power


more at: http://kacific.com/technology/#kacific1-satellite

Online ZachS09

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Since JCSat 18/Kacific 1 is 6.8 tons, is it likely that the Falcon 9 will take it to a sub-synchronous transfer orbit since the first stage might make a droneship landing?
« Last Edit: 01/03/2019 04:12 pm by ZachS09 »
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Offline Tomness

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Since JCSat 18/Kacific 1 is 6.8 tons, is it likely that the Falcon 9 will take it to a sub-synchronous transfer orbit since the first stage might make a droneship landing?

Or talk the customer in to launching it on FH.

Offline LouScheffer

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Since JCSat 18/Kacific 1 is 6.8 tons, is it likely that the Falcon 9 will take it to a sub-synchronous transfer orbit since the first stage might make a droneship landing?
F9 can do 5.5 tonnes recoverable.  Increasing the mass to 6.8t reduces the lift by about 350 m/s.  This is just about what they could gain by foregoing recovery.  So the two most likely options are:
(a) Recover the booster, and accept a sub-GTO apogee (about 21000 km by my estimate, or 2150 m/s deficit), or
(b) Expend the booster, and get a GEO-apogee GTO (about 1800 m/s deficit).

I suspect, without evidence, that (a) is more likely since they've already done this with several block 5s.

Offline GWR64

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The JCSAT-18 part of this satellite is an Ku-Band payload. Unfortunately, there is very little information on JSAT.

https://www.jsat.net/en/contour/jcsat-18.html

Online gongora

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https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/1117730204150042625
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.@kacific signs 15-yr deal w/ Tonga for sat capacity to outer islands from Kacific-1, condosat with JSat-18 to launch this yr; expansion to main Tonga centers in event of cable outage like one in January. Pictured: Kacific CEO C. Patouraux, Tonga Commerce Minister Tevita Tui'Uata

Offline zubenelgenubi

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Assuming this is the payload; re: launch month for JCSat 18/Kacific 1.
Source
Semi-rhetorical question: Is this an information statement, or a deduction as the first two months of the third quarter are "full"?
Quote
[A] Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch in September.
« Last Edit: 06/27/2019 02:52 am by zubenelgenubi »
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Online scr00chy

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[A] Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch in September.
My guess is that the September launch is actually Starlink-2 rather than JCSAT, but it's just a feeling.

Offline russianhalo117

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[A] Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch in September.
My guess is that the September launch is actually Starlink-2 rather than JCSAT, but it's just a feeling.
There was a recent schedule update on L2 so hopefully Chris will post or tweet about it soon on the public side. That is all I can say at this time.
L2 link to that update is: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48427.0
« Last Edit: 06/26/2019 08:01 pm by russianhalo117 »

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Quote
Kacific1 Milestones: Bus and Payload Integration Complete
Jul 04 2019

If you were to step inside the Boeing Satellite Systems International (Boeing) Factory in California, you would see that Kacific1 has doubled in size from a month ago. The payload and bus modules are now successfully tested and integrated, and the spacecraft is proceeding along in single-line flow.

Solar arrays, which will convert the sun’s rays into electricity to provide power to the satellite, and its antenna reflectors which focus the electromagnetic waves into the high-power spot beams, are being installed

The XIPS (Xenon Ion Propulsion System) electric thrusters are also being fitted.  Electric propulsion systems are lighter than chemical propulsion systems, and so allowed Kacific to place more communications hardware on board.

Boeing will soon begin vibration and acoustic tests to simulate the harsh launch environment. These tests will be followed by spacecraft thermal vacuum tests (SCTV). SCTV tests simulate the space environment to ensure that the spacecraft will remain healthy for its 15-year design life. Other activities underway include launch, mission and in-orbit test planning.

For Kacific1 to provide connectivity to many small VSAT terminals across Asia Pacific, it needs to connect to a powerful RF ground system. Kratos Defence and Security Solutions is designing, building and commissioning our multi-site gateways, which includes large 9-metre antennas and the high power amplifier equipment needed to transmit to space. Currently the RF gateway hardware is being shipped to the sites for installation.

At each RF gateway is a Kacific hub where connections to the internet are established. These hubs are based on the Newtec Dialog® multiservice platform and are currently being built in Belgium. They will soon undergo a factory acceptance test (FAT). Each of the hubs will be controlled at the Kacific network operations center (NOC) in Singapore, which is also being developed.

We’re keeping in regular contact with our technology partners to provide exciting updates and successful test results. All systems are firing here at Kacific as we begin the countdown to Kacific1 service commencing.

https://kacific.com/news/kacific1-milestones-bus-and-payload-integration-complete

Offline zubenelgenubi

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Given this progress report:
Quote
Kacific1 Milestones: Bus and Payload Integration Complete
Jul 04 2019
<snip>
Solar arrays, which will convert the sun’s rays into electricity to provide power to the satellite, and its antenna reflectors which focus the electromagnetic waves into the high-power spot beams, are being installed.

The XIPS (Xenon Ion Propulsion System) electric thrusters are also being fitted. <snip>

Boeing will soon begin vibration and acoustic tests to simulate the harsh launch environment. These tests will be followed by spacecraft thermal vacuum tests (SCTV). SCTV tests simulate the space environment to ensure that the spacecraft will remain healthy for its 15-year design life.
<snip>
https://kacific.com/news/kacific1-milestones-bus-and-payload-integration-complete

And given this up-thread discussion:
[A] Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch in September.
My guess is that the September launch is actually Starlink-2 rather than JCSAT, but it's just a feeling.
There was a recent schedule update on L2 so hopefully Chris will post or tweet about it soon on the public side. That is all I can say at this time.
L2 link to that update is: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48427.0

Then, by not-L2 information, would it be safe to deduce this launch will not happen before September 30?
« Last Edit: 07/06/2019 12:43 am by zubenelgenubi »
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Offline GWR64

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SKY Perfect JSAT plans to launch of JCSAT-18 in the second half of the financial year 2019.
This period starts at SKY Perfect JSAT on October 1st.

Online scr00chy

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Slide about JCSAT-18 from SKY Perfect JSAT Group Earnings Report.

It confirms that the launch is planned for the second half of FY2019 (meaning NET October 2019).

Offline StuffOfInterest

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FY2019 starts on October 1st, so I believe your conclusion based on that slide is incorrect.  If the slide is accurate, then the launch should happen before the start of October.

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