With Turkmensat done, pad abort in may, CRS-7 in june and JSON in July, its looking like a slow next 3 months.Is there any info about this launch actually taking place in Q2 2015 ?Yes, one launch / testing activity per month for LC40 is slow for SpaceX in my book.
Quote from: macpacheco on 04/28/2015 07:32 pmWith Turkmensat done, pad abort in may, CRS-7 in june and JSON in July, its looking like a slow next 3 months.Is there any info about this launch actually taking place in Q2 2015 ?Yes, one launch / testing activity per month for LC40 is slow for SpaceX in my book.This flight will almost certainly be in Q3, they still have to build and qualify the new version of the rocket.
Er... what new version? Do you mean the engine upgrade? Quote from: gongora on 04/28/2015 07:57 pmQuote from: macpacheco on 04/28/2015 07:32 pmWith Turkmensat done, pad abort in may, CRS-7 in june and JSON in July, its looking like a slow next 3 months.Is there any info about this launch actually taking place in Q2 2015 ?Yes, one launch / testing activity per month for LC40 is slow for SpaceX in my book.This flight will almost certainly be in Q3, they still have to build and qualify the new version of the rocket.
Quote from: kevinof on 04/28/2015 07:59 pmEr... what new version? Do you mean the engine upgrade? Quote from: gongora on 04/28/2015 07:57 pmQuote from: macpacheco on 04/28/2015 07:32 pmWith Turkmensat done, pad abort in may, CRS-7 in june and JSON in July, its looking like a slow next 3 months.Is there any info about this launch actually taking place in Q2 2015 ?Yes, one launch / testing activity per month for LC40 is slow for SpaceX in my book.This flight will almost certainly be in Q3, they still have to build and qualify the new version of the rocket.Not just the engine thrust upgrade. The sub-cooled propellant (densification) is part of it, which probably causes some tweaks. This flight could also fly the stretched upper stage, but that is not known yet.
This SES press release is saying 2Q/3Q for SES 9.http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2015/20659801
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 04/29/2015 06:05 amThis SES press release is saying 2Q/3Q for SES 9.http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2015/20659801That's from a couple months ago. SpaceX has said the next launch is CRS-7 on June 19 (or somewhere around there if they have to adjust cargo), Gwynne said "Summer" for the upgraded version fairly recently. 2Q does not seem realistic now.
https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/593811524898131968Tweet from @pbdesSES: SpaceX has confirmed that our large SES-9 sat, new capacity over Asia, will launch on Falcon 9 before October.
SES: What a difference 1 sat makes: If SpaceX launches SES-9 in Q2, 2015-2017 CAGR is 5%. If in Q3, CAGR is 3.5%. Co has 54-sat fleet.
SES Chief Financial Officer Padraig McCarthy said during the conference call that if SES-9 is launched by June, SES’s average annual revenue between 2015 and 2017 is likely to grow by 4 percent. If the launch slips beyond June, the compound annual revenue growth will be just 3.5 percent.
Spaceflightnow has a update showing July 15th which at a minimum is the most precise date I have seen for this yet. Although precision does not equal accuracy and everything is subject to shifts to the right.
This satellite, destined to serve Asia, already has excellent pre-sales, but because it is an all-electric satellite it will take 4-6 months to get into orbit – and only then will it start earning its keep.
Hmmm, thought the group had settled on this satellite using standard chemical propulsion for orbit raising, but this article popped up today. Anyone know if the site usually has good reporting?http://advanced-television.com/2015/06/09/ses-eyes-down-look-beyond-the-top-line/QuoteThis satellite, destined to serve Asia, already has excellent pre-sales, but because it is an all-electric satellite it will take 4-6 months to get into orbit – and only then will it start earning its keep.
From pbdes on twitter, this launch will be recovering the first stage of F9:"SES CTO: We've asked SpaceX if recovered 1st stage from our SES-9 launch this summer could be sold to us for lower-cost future launch. TBD."https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/611199719864410112