Got info from GFZ, that Dnepr is no longer available as launch vehicle for GRACE-FO. They are currently in negotiations with SpaceX for a Falcon-9 launch.
Quote from: Skyrocket on 08/23/2016 11:24 pmGot info from GFZ, that Dnepr is no longer available as launch vehicle for GRACE-FO. They are currently in negotiations with SpaceX for a Falcon-9 launch.Do we know why?
What if a normal Iridium NEXT flight will be split into 2 and one gets a GRACE-FO satellite while the other gets the other 2 satellites that were meant to launch on a DNEPR?
It's official: launching 75 of our 81 NEXT sats on a total of 8 Falcon 9s. Same cost through 2018 as last plan with Dnepr. Rideshare=smart!
@IridiumBoss it will be new falcon 9 or a reused falcon 9???Matt Desch: New.
announces 8th launch, rideshare with NASA/GFZ to deliver 5 Iridium NEXT satellites to LEO, expected by early 2018.
Iridium strikes deal with GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences to launch five additional spare Iridium NEXT satellites as well as NASA/GFZ's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on (GRACE-FO) MissionMCLEAN, Va., Jan. 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that it has contracted with SpaceX for an eighth Falcon 9 launch. Along for the ride are the twin-satellites of the NASA/GFZ Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, which will be deployed into a separate low-Earth orbit, marking the first rideshare deal for Iridium. An agreement of this kind is economical for all parties, and affords Iridium the ability to launch five additional satellites for its next-generation global satellite network. The rideshare is anticipated to launch out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by early 2018."This is a very smart way to get additional Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium. "This launch provides added resiliency to our network for not much more than we had planned originally to launch 72 satellites, including two with Kosmotras." Desch continued, "We are pleased to be sharing a rocket with NASA and GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences for this additional SpaceX launch, and GFZ has been a great business partner throughout this process." Not only is this launch a rare opportunity to ride with NASA, but it also represents a particularly compelling economical solution. The Company had always expected to launch additional satellites after the Iridium NEXT construction was completed to utilize the nine ground spares built into the program. This rideshare represents a material savings from other supplemental launch options due to the efficiency of sharing the rocket with GRACE-FO, and the incremental cost during the Iridium NEXT construction period is immaterial when considering the avoidance of unspent amounts contemplated under the Kosmotras program. It also affords Iridium the opportunity to rearrange its launch and satellite drifting plan and launch these five satellites directly into their operational orbital plane while increasing the number of planned in-orbit spares by three satellites. Further, this development allows Iridium to complete the whole operational constellation at a faster rate than it would have with seven launches. Iridium will still consider launching satellites with Kosmotras once approvals are available. Iridium NEXT is the company's next-generation global satellite constellation. Replacing Iridium's existing network of low-Earth orbit satellites, Iridium NEXT is poised to re-energize the mobile satellite industry with faster speeds and higher throughputs for all industry verticals. The launch of the Iridium NEXT constellation represents an unprecedented feat for satellite communications, and has been coined the largest "tech refresh" of its kind.The Company has contracted with SpaceX for seven dedicated Iridium NEXT launches, deploying 70 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-Earth orbit, across a 13-month period out of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This eighth launch will increase the constellation's count to 75 total in-orbit satellites, nine of which will serve as on-orbit spares. The first set of Iridium NEXT satellites was successfully launched on January 14th and is currently under test in orbit. For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.iridiumnext.com.GRACE-FO is a successor to the joint NASA/DLR/GFZ GRACE mission, which launched in 2002 and is still in operation. The twin GRACE-FO satellites, which operate in tandem, will continue GRACE's legacy of tracking changes in the distribution of Earth's mass over time by creating monthly maps of Earth's gravity field. The movements of masses of water, ice, air, and the solid Earth are driven by processes such as precipitation, droughts, floods, the melting of snow and ice, ground water usage and storage, and even tectonic events such as large earthquakes. GRACE is improving our understanding and knowledge of a variety of important Earth system processes: the terrestrial water cycle and changes in ice sheets, glaciers and sea level, surface and deep-ocean currents; and variations in Earth's lithosphere and mantle density. These measurements provide a unique view of the Earth system and have far-reaching benefits to society and the world's population. The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
@IridiumComm : We're paying @SpaceX $67.9M for 8th Falcon 9 launch in mid-2018. GFZ Germany funds $31.8M of that to carry 2 GRACE-FO sats.
Quote@IridiumComm: We pd Kosmotras Moscow $38.6M for 2-sat launch on Dnepr. Launch may never happen, & $$ may be lost.https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/835046295941353473
@IridiumComm: We pd Kosmotras Moscow $38.6M for 2-sat launch on Dnepr. Launch may never happen, & $$ may be lost.
So because of sharing the launch cost, the 8th F9 for Iridium is cheaper than the previous planned (now doubtful) Dnepr launch:Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 02/24/2017 08:08 amQuote@IridiumComm: We pd Kosmotras Moscow $38.6M for 2-sat launch on Dnepr. Launch may never happen, & $$ may be lost.https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/835046295941353473
cheaper on F9 because launching 5 Iridium sats versus previous plan of launching 2 on Dnepr. Then couple that savings with a large 2 sat rideshare and price goes down.
Quote from: russianhalo117 on 02/24/2017 08:11 pmcheaper on F9 because launching 5 Iridium sats versus previous plan of launching 2 on Dnepr. Then couple that savings with a large 2 sat rideshare and price goes down.Right; $36.1M cost to Iridium for the launch versus $38.6M on Dnepr. In terms of cost per satellite it gets even better; $7.22M vs $19.3M. $7M/per is pretty close to the cost to Iridium with the current contract, so it is a good deal for them that they found a way to get the extra birds on orbit at a similar price.
.@AirbusSpace tested the dispensers for the NASA/GFZ GRACE-FO mission. Both science sats launch w/ 5 @IridiumComm sats on a @SpaceX rocket.
Tweet from Caleb Henry:Quote.@AirbusSpace tested the dispensers for the NASA/GFZ GRACE-FO mission. Both science sats launch w/ 5 @IridiumComm sats on a @SpaceX rocket.
Quote from: gongora on 08/16/2017 02:29 pmTweet from Caleb Henry:Quote.@AirbusSpace tested the dispensers for the NASA/GFZ GRACE-FO mission. Both science sats launch w/ 5 @IridiumComm sats on a @SpaceX rocket.So for this launch, they will not be using SpaceX dispensers for GRACE-FO / Idriduim NEXT Launch?
Just stumbled across the Office of Safety & Mission Assurance's long-term planning schedule for Safety & Mission Success Reviews which shows tentative launch date for GRACE-FO of 2018-03-21. That date was current based on an ELV milestone schedule from August 2nd. I won't be too surprised if this date doesn't hold since it's still quite a ways out, especially since then they'd have a bunch of very high profile launches currently scheduled for that month: DM-1, TESS, GRACE-FO. TESS has a harder deadline for launch and DM-1 is vital for their crew schedules.Link to SMSR .pdf
Ten. Always 10, except Launch 6 will be a rideshare with GRACE, and that one will launch 5.
The team expects the October/November science data collection to be the mission's last before GRACE-2 runs out of fuel. The additional monthly gravity map produced will help further extend GRACE's data record closer to the launch of GRACE's successor mission, GRACE-Follow-On, scheduled for early 2018.As directed by the mission's Joint Steering Group, final decommissioning for both GRACE-1 and GRACE-2 will begin once the dual satellite science phase concludes.
JPL's Grace-FO website is now showing a launch countdown of 79 days 14 hours (as of writing). I think that would make it 8 December 2017 at 0800 UTC.This seems unlikely if it remains Iridium-NEXT Flight 6, unless the launches go out of order. Is the current predicted date based on anything other than an average interval between launches? Can SpaceX accelerate launches 4, 5 and 6 to achieve this date?
JPL's Grace-FO website is now showing a launch countdown of 79 days 14 hours (as of writing). I think that would make it 8 December 2017 at 0800 UTC.
Quote from: OccasionalTraveller on 09/19/2017 06:05 pmJPL's Grace-FO website is now showing a launch countdown of 79 days 14 hours (as of writing). I think that would make it 8 December 2017 at 0800 UTC.That website is saying early 2018 for the launch, so that count down clock is wrong.https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 09/20/2017 09:28 amQuote from: OccasionalTraveller on 09/19/2017 06:05 pmJPL's Grace-FO website is now showing a launch countdown of 79 days 14 hours (as of writing). I think that would make it 8 December 2017 at 0800 UTC.That website is saying early 2018 for the launch, so that count down clock is wrong.https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/It's possible that given the news that the original GRACE sats are going to be decommissioned very soon that the Iridium launch order has been swapped to allow for the possibility of overlapping coverage with GRACE-FO as originally intended. That would mean that the GRACE-FO+(5) IrNext sats would go up on Launch#4 instead of Launch#6.
Quote from: deruch on 09/22/2017 01:13 amQuote from: Steven Pietrobon on 09/20/2017 09:28 amQuote from: OccasionalTraveller on 09/19/2017 06:05 pmJPL's Grace-FO website is now showing a launch countdown of 79 days 14 hours (as of writing). I think that would make it 8 December 2017 at 0800 UTC.That website is saying early 2018 for the launch, so that count down clock is wrong.https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview/It's possible that given the news that the original GRACE sats are going to be decommissioned very soon that the Iridium launch order has been swapped to allow for the possibility of overlapping coverage with GRACE-FO as originally intended. That would mean that the GRACE-FO+(5) IrNext sats would go up on Launch#4 instead of Launch#6.Four days ago the CEO of Iridium said it was still planned to be flight 6
Two satellites built at Airbus in Immenstaad, which are to continue surveying the earth's gravitational field over the next five years, were last presented on German soil at IABG in Ottobrunn near Munich on Friday ... The twins were developed on behalf of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the American Space Agency NASA and the German Geo-Research Center (GFZ) in Potsdam. ...Each of the two satellites weighs 655 kilograms. To start, they are clamped on a carbon fiber fixture and released in orbit. For attitude control and control, each has 32 kilograms of fuel (nitrogen gas) on board...On December 12, the Grace-FO will be flown with a jumbo jet and 40 tons of equipment from Munich to California. At the Air Force Base in Vandenberg, the satellites are mounted on the fixture and tested again for their function. Then they come in a capsule on the Raktspitze, are refueled and started in mid-March 2018 with a Falcon rocket.
It's possible that given the news that the original GRACE sats are going to be decommissioned very soon that the Iridium launch order has been swapped to allow for the possibility of overlapping coverage with GRACE-FO as originally intended. That would mean that the GRACE-FO+(5) IrNext sats would go up on Launch#4 instead of Launch#6.
After more than 15 productive years in orbit, the U.S./German GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite mission has ended science operations. During their mission, the twin GRACE satellites have provided unprecedented insights into how our planet is changing by tracking the continuous movement of liquid water, ice and the solid Earth.GRACE made science measurements by precisely measuring the distance between its twin satellites, GRACE-1 and GRACE-2, which required that both spacecraft and their instruments be fully functional. Following an age-related battery issue on GRACE-2 in September, it became apparent by mid-October that GRACE-2's remaining battery capacity would not be sufficient to operate its science instruments and telemetry transmitter. Consequently, the decision was made to decommission the GRACE-2 satellite and end GRACE's science mission.Despite the loss of one of the twin GRACE satellites, the other satellite, GRACE-1, will continue operating through the end of 2017. "GRACE-1's remaining fuel will be used to complete previously planned maneuvers to calibrate and characterize its accelerometer to improve the final scientific return and insights from the 15-year GRACE record," said GRACE Project Scientist Carmen Boening of JPL.Currently, GRACE-2's remaining fuel is being expended and the satellite has begun to slowly deorbit. Atmospheric reentry of GRACE-2 is expected sometime in December or January. Decommissioning and atmospheric reentry of GRACE-1 are expected in early 2018. NASA and the German Space Operations Center will jointly monitor the deorbit and reentry of both satellites.
Quote from: deruch on 09/22/2017 01:13 amIt's possible that given the news that the original GRACE sats are going to be decommissioned very soon that the Iridium launch order has been swapped to allow for the possibility of overlapping coverage with GRACE-FO as originally intended. That would mean that the GRACE-FO+(5) IrNext sats would go up on Launch#4 instead of Launch#6.Certainly not alas.http://www2.csr.utexas.edu/grace/QuoteAfter more than 15 productive years in orbit, the U.S./German GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite mission has ended science operations. During their mission, the twin GRACE satellites have provided unprecedented insights into how our planet is changing by tracking the continuous movement of liquid water, ice and the solid Earth.GRACE made science measurements by precisely measuring the distance between its twin satellites, GRACE-1 and GRACE-2, which required that both spacecraft and their instruments be fully functional. Following an age-related battery issue on GRACE-2 in September, it became apparent by mid-October that GRACE-2's remaining battery capacity would not be sufficient to operate its science instruments and telemetry transmitter. Consequently, the decision was made to decommission the GRACE-2 satellite and end GRACE's science mission.Despite the loss of one of the twin GRACE satellites, the other satellite, GRACE-1, will continue operating through the end of 2017. "GRACE-1's remaining fuel will be used to complete previously planned maneuvers to calibrate and characterize its accelerometer to improve the final scientific return and insights from the 15-year GRACE record," said GRACE Project Scientist Carmen Boening of JPL.Currently, GRACE-2's remaining fuel is being expended and the satellite has begun to slowly deorbit. Atmospheric reentry of GRACE-2 is expected sometime in December or January. Decommissioning and atmospheric reentry of GRACE-1 are expected in early 2018. NASA and the German Space Operations Center will jointly monitor the deorbit and reentry of both satellites.Even if 'early 2018' overlaps with launch dates, the loss of one satellite means there is no meaningful gravitational measurement going on at all.A fifteen year mission is just an awesome achievement.I have not investigated closely and it appears that the GRACE-FO satellites are using a very similar design, and while in principle you could operate GRACE-FO with GRACE-1, the orbit GRACE-FO will be put in will be very much higher, so this is not possible, even if the satellites are actually compatible.(GRACE1/2's orbit has decayed significantly)
GRACE 1 and 2 are at end of life station keeping wise and are super low on propellant. If there was an immediate means to refuel them then they could 2 or more decades. As for GRACE-FO, they are the GRACE-1 and 2 flight spares and have been in storage since they were built. The were pulled out of storage to receive minor upgrades of components and the addition of laser optics for ranging between the two spacecraft.
Matt Desch said on twitter that this will use a new booster.SpaceflightNow is showing a launch time of 6:43pm PDT (1:43am next day UTC).
US/German GRACE-FO gravity-research sats leave @AirbusSpace Germany for Calif. for spring launch to LEO on @SpaceX w/ 5 @IridiumComm mobile-comms sats. https://www.spaceintelreport.com/iridium/
QuoteUS/German GRACE-FO gravity-research sats leave @AirbusSpace Germany for Calif. for spring launch to LEO on @SpaceX w/ 5 @IridiumComm mobile-comms sats. https://www.spaceintelreport.com/iridium/https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/940528070938808321
Our rideshare partner for Iridium-6. Great working relationship; we're looking forward to flying together.
Freilich: GRACE Follow On expected to launch in March or April 2018 with Iridium satellites (on a Falcon 9). ICESat-2 making “tremendous progress” to Sept. 2018 launch. #AGU17
Iridium Announces Date for Fifth Iridium® NEXT LaunchFirst Iridium launch of 2018 set to begin rapid launch cadence targeting completion by mid-year MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that the fifth Iridium NEXT launch has been targeted by SpaceX for March 18, 2018 at 8:19 am PDT (15:19 UTC) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first of four launches planned for 2018, Iridium-5 will deliver 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, bringing the total number of new satellites deployed to 50. This launch will use the same Falcon 9 first stage as the Iridium-3 launch that took place in October 2017 and begin a rapid-cadence launch schedule targeting completion of the Iridium manifest by mid-2018. “We are entering the home stretch,” said Matt Desch, chief executive officer, at Iridium. “This is going to be a monumental year for us as we complete our constellation refresh. In addition to four launches, we will continue the testing and validation processes for our new specialty broadband service, Iridium CertusSM, and look forward to its commercial launch later this year. We consider 2017 to be a great success and anticipate this year to be even better.”The Iridium network is comprised of six polar orbiting planes, each containing 11 operational crosslinked satellites, for a total of 66 satellites in the active constellation. The Iridium-5 launch will deliver the new satellites to orbital plane 1, where all 10 will go directly into service after testing and validation. Following Iridium-5, the Iridium-6 Rideshare mission is targeted for mid-to-late April. The Rideshare will carry five Iridium NEXT satellites and the twin satellites for the NASA/German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On mission. The final four launches will bring a total of 35 new satellites to space, completing the constellation of 66 operational satellites and 9 in-orbit spares.Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion, next-generation, mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. The constellation features 66 active satellites, plus nine on-orbit spares. In total, 81 new satellites are being built, with the six remaining satellites serving as ground spares. Iridium NEXT will replace the company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely on to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more.For more information about Iridium NEXT, please visit www.IridiumNEXT.com
Given that the upcoming PAZ launch and Iridium 5 launches will expend their first stages, it looks like Iridium 6 will likely be the first Vandenberg RTLS mission. That is unless, of course, the secondary payloads make the rocket too heavy for RTLS. However, the current manifest chart says "~6k", lighter than the usual 9600 lbs. Iridium missions.
I've never heard of that limitation, Sc00chy. Do you have a source for that?
For @IridiumComm, if @SpaceX launches today OK as planned, the 5th IRDM 10-sat Falcon 9 launch should occur on March 29. Then 6th F9 launch end-April.
"Following next month’s launch, our cadence with SpaceX should move more rapidly as launch frequency is planned to increase to approximately one launch every five to six weeks or so. In fact, our sixth launch is currently scheduled for a quick turnaround at the end of April, that will be a rideshare with the JPL German Grace satellites in which we’ll utilize half of the payload to launch five Iridium NEXT satellites alongside the two Grace satellites which will be mounted on the dispenser above ours."
Tagnan:What about iridium 6? At the very least do you know if it will be reused or not?Matt Desch:Considering, but its a ride share so a little more complicated and hasn't been totally finalized...Tagnan:How much do ride shares get to decide in terms of vehicle used and other options?Matt Desch:It's a cooperative effort, and mostly decided up front in a contract, or in ongoing discussions as you jointly prepare and project manage towards the launch. In this case, we're the lead with SpaceX, but we work to make sure decisions are right for our rideshare partner too.
I expect/predict that core 1043 is being refurbed for this launch...If it does require a new core it must be 1047. In that case 1043 would most likely be used for IridiumNext-7...
Quote from: Jakusb on 03/13/2018 08:32 amI expect/predict that core 1043 is being refurbed for this launch...If it does require a new core it must be 1047. In that case 1043 would most likely be used for IridiumNext-7...Interesting, even in spite of the NASA science payload? I've assumed that GRACE-FO are somewhat more valuable/irreplaceable than a Cargo Dragon, the only mission type we've yet to see NASA accept flight-proven boosters for. With TESS, LSP didn't even want it to fly on the first new Block 5 core, let alone a flight-proven booster.
edit2: For clarity, my belief is that SpaceX built them a legacy core (not Block 5) even if they had planned to be switched to full Block 5 production. I won't be too surprised if the same is in progress for the Air Force's GPS-3 launch. Though, they may have enough flight data by then to make that a non-issue.
NET April 28. No mention of recovery ops in this particular STA.
Quote from: vaporcobra on 03/19/2018 03:56 pmNET April 28. No mention of recovery ops in this particular STA. Recovery ops would be a separate STA (and there isn't one )
Quote from: gongora on 03/19/2018 04:06 pmQuote from: vaporcobra on 03/19/2018 03:56 pmNET April 28. No mention of recovery ops in this particular STA. Recovery ops would be a separate STA (and there isn't one )My memory may be failing me (apologies if this is a rehash), but looking through the current FCC license for seven Iridium launches from VAFB, it explicitly does not permit/mention booster landings at SLC-4's LZ, pretty much precluding any attempt at a land recovery until the license is updated/replaced. https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/licenses_permits/media/LLS%2017-096B%20Rev%202.pdf
Matt Desch is in discussions on this being Block 5, and if it is it will be a reflown Block 5https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/976575188614762496
Launch date for Iridium-6/GRACE-FO mission now set: Saturday, May 19th at approximately 1:03 pm PDT (20:03 UTC). May 20th backup. Five more Iridium NEXT satellites will start shipping this week to VAFB; the 2 GRACE-FO sats are already at the base. #RidesharingMakesSense!
Is the launch vehicle at VAFB?
Yes, the first stage is there now.
Iridium satellites (5) Payload Mass: 860kg per satellite plus 500kg for dispenser. Launch orbit: 625km, 86.66 degreesGRACE-FO satellites (2) Payload Mass: 580kg per satellite plus dispenser. Orbit: 490km, 89 degrees
I’m a bit confused about this mission profile Quote from: russianhalo117 on 07/25/2014 08:34 pmIridium satellites (5) Payload Mass: 860kg per satellite plus 500kg for dispenser. Launch orbit: 625km, 86.66 degreesGRACE-FO satellites (2) Payload Mass: 580kg per satellite plus dispenser. Orbit: 490km, 89 degreesAccording to the topic post, the Iridium and GRACE-FO will be launched into orbits with different inclinations and altitudes. So even assuming a direct orbit insertion to one of the target orbits, it still requires 3 restarts of S2 in order to deliver the payloads to target orbit and then deorbit. While M1Ds on the S1 have performed multiple 4 burn RTLS and ASDS missions, have S2 and M1D Vac been verified for such mission?And besides, given the different inclinations,a plane changing maneuver in LEO is required, which is very unefficient (about 370m/s for 2.6 degrees), perhaps it would be better to deliver the heavier Iridiums first and then maneuver for GRACE-FO?
I’m a bit confused about this mission profile Quote from: russianhalo117 on 07/25/2014 08:34 pmIridium satellites (5) Payload Mass: 860kg per satellite plus 500kg for dispenser. Launch orbit: 625km, 86.66 degreesGRACE-FO satellites (2) Payload Mass: 580kg per satellite plus dispenser. Orbit: 490km, 89 degreesAccording to the topic post, the Iridium and GRACE-FO will be launched into orbits with different inclinations and altitudes. So even assuming a direct orbit insertion to one of the target orbits, it still requires 3 restarts of S2 in order to deliver the payloads to target orbit and then deorbit. While M1Ds on the S1 have performed multiple 4 burn RTLS and ASDS missions, have S2 and M1D Vac been verified for such mission?
And besides, given the different inclinations,a plane changing maneuver in LEO is required, which is very unefficient (about 370m/s for 2.6 degrees), perhaps it would be better to deliver the heavier Iridiums first and then maneuver for GRACE-FO?
This unique “rideshare” launch, will first deploy the twin GRACE-FO spacecraft, after which the Falcon 9 second stage will continue onward to the deployment orbit for the five Iridium NEXT satellites.
Please note the rather significant difference in orbital altitude between GRACE-FO and the Iridium sats and than remember that neither GRACE-FO, nor the Iridium sats have circularisation capabilities.
Quote from: woods170 on 04/10/2018 11:38 amPlease note the rather significant difference in orbital altitude between GRACE-FO and the Iridium sats and than remember that neither GRACE-FO, nor the Iridium sats have circularisation capabilities.I see what Ultrafamicom is getting at, but if you deploy the Iridium satellites first, you then require the same plane change (admittedly of less mass), combined with the additional ∆V of a reduction in perigee, a circularisation at 490kms before deployment of the GRACE-FO satellites, and ultimately a de-orbit burn. So, four S2 burns, and probably a higher ∆V requirement.
Quote from: OneSpeed on 04/10/2018 12:09 pmQuote from: woods170 on 04/10/2018 11:38 amPlease note the rather significant difference in orbital altitude between GRACE-FO and the Iridium sats and than remember that neither GRACE-FO, nor the Iridium sats have circularisation capabilities.I see what Ultrafamicom is getting at, but if you deploy the Iridium satellites first, you then require the same plane change (admittedly of less mass), combined with the additional ∆V of a reduction in perigee, a circularisation at 490kms before deployment of the GRACE-FO satellites, and ultimately a de-orbit burn. So, four S2 burns, and probably a higher ∆V requirement.Indeed. And although an F9 S2 is quite capable it does make sense to do things as efficiently as possible. Which precludes dropping off the Iridium sats first.
I'm predicting that the second stage will directly insert itself into the GRACE-FO orbit (490 km, inclined 89 degrees) before the second burn increases the apogee and lowers the inclination while the third burn circularizes the Iridium-NEXT orbit (625 km, inclined 86.66 degrees).
Quote from: woods170 on 04/10/2018 01:22 pmQuote from: OneSpeed on 04/10/2018 12:09 pmQuote from: woods170 on 04/10/2018 11:38 amPlease note the rather significant difference in orbital altitude between GRACE-FO and the Iridium sats and than remember that neither GRACE-FO, nor the Iridium sats have circularisation capabilities.I see what Ultrafamicom is getting at, but if you deploy the Iridium satellites first, you then require the same plane change (admittedly of less mass), combined with the additional ∆V of a reduction in perigee, a circularisation at 490kms before deployment of the GRACE-FO satellites, and ultimately a de-orbit burn. So, four S2 burns, and probably a higher ∆V requirement.Indeed. And although an F9 S2 is quite capable it does make sense to do things as efficiently as possible. Which precludes dropping off the Iridium sats first.Also, for structural reasons, it makes sense to put the heavier sats below the light sats. Otherwise the payload would be quite top heavy in comparison..
Also, for structural reasons, it makes sense to put the heavier sats below the light sats. Otherwise the payload would be quite top heavy in comparison..
Quote from: Semmel on 04/10/2018 01:53 pmAlso, for structural reasons, it makes sense to put the heavier sats below the light sats. Otherwise the payload would be quite top heavy in comparison.. Huh? From a rocket control perspective, the farther forward you move the rocket's center of mass (Top Heavy), the easier the control problem becomes. That's why the LOX tank is usually above the kero tank in most rocket first stage designs. The only real exception is some LH upper-stages where it is reversed due to it being more mass efficient to run LH piping around and through the much smaller LOX tank.
GRACE-FO on the top dispenser, Iridium on the bottom dispenser.Quote"Following next month’s launch, our cadence with SpaceX should move more rapidly as launch frequency is planned to increase to approximately one launch every five to six weeks or so. In fact, our sixth launch is currently scheduled for a quick turnaround at the end of April, that will be a rideshare with the JPL German Grace satellites in which we’ll utilize half of the payload to launch five Iridium NEXT satellites alongside the two Grace satellites which will be mounted on the dispenser above ours."
Brian Webb (Vandy's Launch Alert dude) may have just suggested that Iridium-6 and Iridium-7 have swapped spots. I'm checking to see if it was a mistake, but it seems unlikely given that he uses the correct satellite numbers for 6-8.
QuoteMay 19 2018 on a new Falcon 9 Do we not have confirmation from Matt Desch that this will be flight-proven?
May 19 2018 on a new Falcon 9
The first few satellites went through full vacuum and thermal (and acoustic etc) tests to validate the design (and assembly processes). Subsequent vehicles only go through thermal cycling to validate assembly workmanship.
Some pre-launch information on GRACE-FO.I don't think there is anything that has not been well covered before.
Remind me if this question was answered already:Does GRACE-FO use the same dispenser as the one for Iridium-NEXT? If not, then the top dispenser should be lighter than 500 kilograms.
From the update thread we apparently have two 'second stage' entry areas active 11 minutes apart. Have we seen this before? Are we about to see some more aggressive/active S2 entry testing?
Just read over the newly-released press kit; how is the second stage going to reach a circular orbit of 625 kilometers, using one restart, from the initial orbit of 490 kilometers?I thought three burns would be necessary.
Quote from: ZachS09 on 05/21/2018 07:50 pmJust read over the newly-released press kit; how is the second stage going to reach a circular orbit of 625 kilometers, using one restart, from the initial orbit of 490 kilometers?I thought three burns would be necessary.It's possible to change periapsis and apoapsis at the same time. The rough analogy is a right triangle, where you can achieve the same two-step X and Y axis movement by taking the hypotenuse. Just more complicated
Quote from: ZachS09 on 05/21/2018 07:50 pmJust read over the newly-released press kit; how is the second stage going to reach a circular orbit of 625 kilometers, using one restart, from the initial orbit of 490 kilometers?I thought three burns would be necessary.Of the 164 kg of hydrazine onboard each Iridium NEXT satellite, 38 kg is budgeted for "Insertion - Mission Orbit".With an Isp of 220 seconds and a spacecraft mass of 840 kg, according to Gunter's it is left to the reader to verify that this is adequate to raise the apogee from the 490 km by 625 km transfer orbit, assuming the Falcon 9 second stage takes care of the plane change.
Three additional patchesSource: http://spacexpatchlist.space/
Quote from: Lewis007 on 05/22/2018 09:21 amThree additional patchesSource: http://spacexpatchlist.space/Wow! Did someone really forget the 'X' in SpaceX? I hope that's not an official patch.
Quote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 03:28 pmQuote from: IntoTheVoid on 05/22/2018 03:00 pmQuote from: Lewis007 on 05/22/2018 09:21 amThree additional patchesSource: http://spacexpatchlist.space/Wow! Did someone really forget the 'X' in SpaceX? I hope that's not an official patch.What missing "X"? It's there on the rocket. The long, curved part of it is grey, not blue, like several official versions.Its a limitation of the low resolution that comes with stitching.The patch with the die, under the 5 pips.
Quote from: IntoTheVoid on 05/22/2018 03:00 pmQuote from: Lewis007 on 05/22/2018 09:21 amThree additional patchesSource: http://spacexpatchlist.space/Wow! Did someone really forget the 'X' in SpaceX? I hope that's not an official patch.What missing "X"? It's there on the rocket. The long, curved part of it is grey, not blue, like several official versions.Its a limitation of the low resolution that comes with stitching.
Just a note that the first stage will burn for about 166 seconds according to the press kit, which is about 23 seconds longer than during previous Block 4 Iridium launches that used downrange recovery. The initial second stage burn will be about 436 seconds long, much longer than previous 383 sec-ish first burns for Iridium missions that went to lower (180 x 625 km) transfer orbits.
Is that a new Block 5 interstage? Or is it just really really sooty?
Quote from: Lewis007 on 05/22/2018 09:21 amThree additional patchesSource: http://spacexpatchlist.space/Wow! Did someone really forget the 'X' in SpaceX? I hope that's not an official patch.Edit: The patch with the die, under the 5 pips.
In the Iridium NEXT overview post (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35112.msg1222679#msg1222679) I seem to have a mistake somewhere in my destinations for the satellites of each launch. Matt Desch said recently that Planes 2, 3, 6 will each have 2 spares (13 sats), which would make me think Planes 1, 4, 5 each have 1 spare (12 sats). When I total up the launches I get 11 in Plane 1 and 14 in Plane 2. Can anyone spot where I'm going wrong?
Tweet from Matt Desch:QuoteChanged our plan recently. L3 goes to Plane 4 now: all 10 will go in service. L4 to Plane 2: 8 slated for operation, 2 to drift to P1.
Changed our plan recently. L3 goes to Plane 4 now: all 10 will go in service. L4 to Plane 2: 8 slated for operation, 2 to drift to P1.
The second stage camera looked worse than ever. What's the deal with that?
Quote from: Prettz on 05/22/2018 08:03 pmThe second stage camera looked worse than ever. What's the deal with that?My best guess is that the bolts holding the camera to the fixture were inadvertently loosened, causing the camera to vibrate.
Quote from: ZachS09 on 05/22/2018 08:05 pmQuote from: Prettz on 05/22/2018 08:03 pmThe second stage camera looked worse than ever. What's the deal with that?My best guess is that the bolts holding the camera to the fixture were inadvertently loosened, causing the camera to vibrate.No, not vibration. I mean the picture looked like crap on both cameras. Not at all like previous broadcasts, and actually worse than the Block 5 launch, which was also dramatically worse than previous launches.
Separate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.
Quote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:34 pmSeparate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.Occasional large vents have been seen before. What you're describing doesn't sound unusual.
Quote from: whitelancer64 on 05/22/2018 08:37 pmQuote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:34 pmSeparate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.Occasional large vents have been seen before. What you're describing doesn't sound unusual. Not a large vent cloud.Something solid or liquid and cold. Dense enough to fall like a stone but dissipating as it falls.Again, I am not saying it's bad or different, just something I have not noticed on previous launches.Have been told it cannot be LOX. (Even had the comment edited out by a mod, as is his right.)But what could it be?
The second burn went from 27,443 to 27,581 km/h, a delta-V of only 38.3 m/s.
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 05/22/2018 09:52 pmThe second burn went from 27,443 to 27,581 km/h, a delta-V of only 38.3 m/s.Was it just an inclination change?
Quote from: whitelancer64 on 05/22/2018 08:37 pmQuote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:34 pmSeparate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.Occasional large vents have been seen before. What you're describing doesn't sound unusual. Not a large vent cloud.Something solid or liquid and cold. Dense enough to fall like a stone but dissipating as it falls.Again, I am not saying it's bad or different, just something I have not noticed on previous launches.Have been told it cannot be LOX.But what could it be?edit: The YouTube video starts at under T-1:00 so doesn't go back far enough to see this.
Quote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:41 pmQuote from: whitelancer64 on 05/22/2018 08:37 pmQuote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:34 pmSeparate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.Occasional large vents have been seen before. What you're describing doesn't sound unusual. Not a large vent cloud.Something solid or liquid and cold. Dense enough to fall like a stone but dissipating as it falls.Again, I am not saying it's bad or different, just something I have not noticed on previous launches.Have been told it cannot be LOX.But what could it be?edit: The YouTube video starts at under T-1:00 so doesn't go back far enough to see this.I've seen the same thing on recent launches. Looks like a spurt of LOX that evaporates as it falls. Watch the last several minutes of the last few launches; I'm sure you'll see something similar on at least one or two of them. Visibility and apparent size of the vent event almost certainly depends greatly on ambient temperature, humidity and lighting.
Quote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:41 pmQuote from: whitelancer64 on 05/22/2018 08:37 pmQuote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:34 pmSeparate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.Occasional large vents have been seen before. What you're describing doesn't sound unusual. Not a large vent cloud.Something solid or liquid and cold. Dense enough to fall like a stone but dissipating as it falls.Again, I am not saying it's bad or different, just something I have not noticed on previous launches.Have been told it cannot be LOX. (Even had the comment edited out by a mod, as is his right.)But what could it be?A screenshot would help.
Quote from: whitelancer64 on 05/22/2018 08:42 pmQuote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:41 pmQuote from: whitelancer64 on 05/22/2018 08:37 pmQuote from: Comga on 05/22/2018 08:34 pmSeparate subject.Sometime before launch, during LOX loading, there was significant venting from the TEL. Big vapor clouds.Something comes out along with the vapor, arcing downward under gravity, leaving more vapor trails behind.My guess, posted to the UPDATES thread, was that it was bits of LOX being spewed.It was not a judgment, I was not saying anything was wrong or unexpected. It's just something I had not noticed before.I was told that any LOX being released would be a safety issue and wouldn't happen.Does anyone here have insight into the nature of this?When the webcast is up on YouTube perhaps a screenshot can be captured.Occasional large vents have been seen before. What you're describing doesn't sound unusual. Not a large vent cloud.Something solid or liquid and cold. Dense enough to fall like a stone but dissipating as it falls.Again, I am not saying it's bad or different, just something I have not noticed on previous launches.Have been told it cannot be LOX. (Even had the comment edited out by a mod, as is his right.)But what could it be?A screenshot would help. A collage of stills with the feature in question circled in red.It is more evident when watching the video.Gas venting puffs out. The tips of these fall under gravity and dissipate.
I guess it must not have been important since no one else has mentioned it, but I wonder what was the snake-like piece of debris that separated from the second stage at SECO-1. It looked like a piece of hose or cable.
Brilliant NASA photographer Bill Ingalls always produces great images. He always asks himself, how close can I put my camera to the rocket launch for the best shot? The rocket answered.
Iridium sats at 86.71 degree inclination. I need to learn how to do the TLE conversion for the orbit height.
Quote from: gongora on 05/22/2018 11:30 pmIridium sats at 86.71 degree inclination. I need to learn how to do the TLE conversion for the orbit height.Here's how:#The the 8th field of line 2, that's the revolutions per day. From this find the semi-major axis in km from Kepler's law and GM for earth:sma = (8681663.653/rpd)^(2/3); print "sma=", sma; #The fifth field is the eccentricity. It's of the form "0.XXXXXX", but only the XXXXXX is given, the "0." is assumede = ("0." $5) + 0.0; print "e=", e; #Now given the semi-major axi and the eccentricity, find the apogee and perigee. These are computed from the center of the Earth, so subtract the# Earth's radius (6371 km)p = sma * (1-e) - 6371; print "perigee =", p;a = sma * (1+e) - 6371; print " apogee =", a;Here's an example to try:1 26934U 01044A 14144.63398148 .00000000 00000-0 00000-0 0 022 26934 97.0335 276.7823 0001902 124.8490 48.3766 15.68826283 01sma= 6740.4e= 0.0001902perigee = 368.114apogee = 370.678
Quote from: rickl on 05/22/2018 11:55 pmI guess it must not have been important since no one else has mentioned it, but I wonder what was the snake-like piece of debris that separated from the second stage at SECO-1. It looked like a piece of hose or cable.It might also just have been LOX that froze in that shape.
Quote from: Lars-J on 05/23/2018 12:15 amQuote from: rickl on 05/22/2018 11:55 pmI guess it must not have been important since no one else has mentioned it, but I wonder what was the snake-like piece of debris that separated from the second stage at SECO-1. It looked like a piece of hose or cable.It might also just have been LOX that froze in that shape.It was flexible and sitting on the (probably very hot) GG exhaust duct, so I rather doubt frozen LOX. Didn't look like it was connected to anything, so not hose or cable. Maybe a piece of mylar tape or insulation?
Quote from: LouScheffer on 05/23/2018 12:32 amQuote from: gongora on 05/22/2018 11:30 pmIridium sats at 86.71 degree inclination. I need to learn how to do the TLE conversion for the orbit height.Here's how:#The the 8th field of line 2, that's the revolutions per day. From this find the semi-major axis in km from Kepler's law and GM for earth:sma = (8681663.653/rpd)^(2/3); print "sma=", sma; #The fifth field is the eccentricity. It's of the form "0.XXXXXX", but only the XXXXXX is given, the "0." is assumede = ("0." $5) + 0.0; print "e=", e; #Now given the semi-major axi and the eccentricity, find the apogee and perigee. These are computed from the center of the Earth, so subtract the# Earth's radius (6371 km)p = sma * (1-e) - 6371; print "perigee =", p;a = sma * (1+e) - 6371; print " apogee =", a;1 43478U 18047C 18142.95257369 .00000034 00000-0 00000+0 0 99942 43478 86.7101 239.9250 0153544 332.9069 117.8366 14.89094608 17I got 504x718, which doesn't seem right (or maybe I just can't do math tonight)
Quote from: gongora on 05/22/2018 11:30 pmIridium sats at 86.71 degree inclination. I need to learn how to do the TLE conversion for the orbit height.Here's how:#The the 8th field of line 2, that's the revolutions per day. From this find the semi-major axis in km from Kepler's law and GM for earth:sma = (8681663.653/rpd)^(2/3); print "sma=", sma; #The fifth field is the eccentricity. It's of the form "0.XXXXXX", but only the XXXXXX is given, the "0." is assumede = ("0." $5) + 0.0; print "e=", e; #Now given the semi-major axi and the eccentricity, find the apogee and perigee. These are computed from the center of the Earth, so subtract the# Earth's radius (6371 km)p = sma * (1-e) - 6371; print "perigee =", p;a = sma * (1+e) - 6371; print " apogee =", a;
GRACE-FO satellites cataloged in 483 x 505 km orbits, Iridium 110, 147, 152, 161 and 162 cataloged in 494 x 710 km orbits. The Falcon 9 second stage was deorbited after deploying the sats.
Hmmm, I guess it is around there.Tweet from Jonathan McDowell:QuoteGRACE-FO satellites cataloged in 483 x 505 km orbits, Iridium 110, 147, 152, 161 and 162 cataloged in 494 x 710 km orbits. The Falcon 9 second stage was deorbited after deploying the sats.
A camera was toasted by the Falcon 9 today... https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156135691076233&id=506906232QuoteBrilliant NASA photographer Bill Ingalls always produces great images. He always asks himself, how close can I put my camera to the rocket launch for the best shot? The rocket answered.
Two sportscar-sized satellites in orbit to measure Earth's water
A SpaceX rocket Tuesday blasted off a duo of sports car-sized satellites built by the US and Germany to reveal changes in sea level rise, ice melt and drought on Earth.
Government launches are often thought of as more expensive than commercial launches. For example, the TESS launch contract was $87 million, but a bare-bones commercial F9 is thought to be about $62M, though the price Iridum pays is not public. The difference is often ascribed to extra checks, paperwork, reviews, and so on.So by this logic, for this shared launch, Iridium would pay $31 million (half a commercial launch), and GRACE would pay $31M + $25M for extra services = $56M. Or did NASA agree to just use standard commercial processing for this flight? Or conversely, does Iridium normally buy more than the bare-bones services, so their cost is closer to NASA cost when everything is included?
Quote from: LouScheffer on 05/23/2018 03:45 pmGovernment launches are often thought of as more expensive than commercial launches. For example, the TESS launch contract was $87 million, but a bare-bones commercial F9 is thought to be about $62M, though the price Iridum pays is not public. The difference is often ascribed to extra checks, paperwork, reviews, and so on.So by this logic, for this shared launch, Iridium would pay $31 million (half a commercial launch), and GRACE would pay $31M + $25M for extra services = $56M. Or did NASA agree to just use standard commercial processing for this flight? Or conversely, does Iridium normally buy more than the bare-bones services, so their cost is closer to NASA cost when everything is included?Who paid and purchased the GRACE-FO part of the launch: NASA or GFZ?
There were reports of some bush fire around the pad so they couldn't get their remote cameras. From the picture, burning grass/bushes might be to blame instead of the rocket IMO.
Well, one remote cam outside the pad perimeter was found to be a bit toast(y). sigh 😞** and yes - it made pix until it's demise. **Seeing many like and share this, but mis-reporting that this camera was close to the pad. I had many other cameras much closer to the pad than this and all are safe. This was result of a small brush fire, which is not unheard of from launches, and was extinguished by fireman, albeit, after my cam was baked.
We have a new metric for payloads:QuoteTwo sportscar-sized satellites in orbit to measure Earth's waterQuoteA SpaceX rocket Tuesday blasted off a duo of sports car-sized satellites built by the US and Germany to reveal changes in sea level rise, ice melt and drought on Earth.https://phys.org/news/2018-05-sportscar-sized-satellites-orbit-earth.htmlLess random* than whales...* Unless you are using an Infinite Improbability Drive
As with the last flight the video OB was very poor.
Quote from: jpo234 on 05/23/2018 04:09 pmQuote from: LouScheffer on 05/23/2018 03:45 pmGovernment launches are often thought of as more expensive than commercial launches. For example, the TESS launch contract was $87 million, but a bare-bones commercial F9 is thought to be about $62M, though the price Iridum pays is not public. The difference is often ascribed to extra checks, paperwork, reviews, and so on.So by this logic, for this shared launch, Iridium would pay $31 million (half a commercial launch), and GRACE would pay $31M + $25M for extra services = $56M. Or did NASA agree to just use standard commercial processing for this flight? Or conversely, does Iridium normally buy more than the bare-bones services, so their cost is closer to NASA cost when everything is included?Who paid and purchased the GRACE-FO part of the launch: NASA or GFZ?GFZ. AFAIK they used the processing facilty at SLC-6 for GRACE-FO then they were moved to another facility to be joined with Iridium on the dispenser stack.
As the Russian/Ukraine Dnepr and corresponding launch services can no longer be provided by the International Space Company Kosmotras (ISCK), the joint NASA-GFZ Joint Steering Group has decided to exchange the GRACE-FO launcher. The corresponding contract was signed on 14. November 2016 by the Board of GFZ and Iridium Satellite LLC. It stipulates a "Rideshare" between GRACE-FO and 5 Iridium-Next satellites on a Space-X Falcon-9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California within the launch period December 2017 till February 2018.
GFZ will be responsible for * Science data exploitation and dissemination within the joint US/German Science Data System (SDS) including release of product versions of the GRACE-FO science data products through their Information System and Data Center (ISDC),* Provision of developments for the Experimental Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI),* Provision of a Launch vehicle and launch services,* Provision of Laser Retro-Reflectors (LRR) for each spacecraft,* Mission operation (with US-support) and* Leading the European Science Team.
Quote from: Hitech on 05/23/2018 04:26 pmAs with the last flight the video OB was very poor. I thought it was fine. I was more bummed about the out of focus tracking camera, which was probably caused by cloud/fog/haze or some-such that spoofed the autofocus. That was probably a range camera not "owned" by SpaceX. The NASA webcast provided better tracking shots that were more in focus, for some reason.On board video is not a given going forward. It is not provided at all for most launches in the world. - Ed Kyle
Quote from: edkyle99 on 05/23/2018 06:57 pmQuote from: Hitech on 05/23/2018 04:26 pmAs with the last flight the video OB was very poor. I thought it was fine. I was more bummed about the out of focus tracking camera, which was probably caused by cloud/fog/haze or some-such that spoofed the autofocus. That was probably a range camera not "owned" by SpaceX. The NASA webcast provided better tracking shots that were more in focus, for some reason.On board video is not a given going forward. It is not provided at all for most launches in the world. - Ed KyleIs there a reason why manual focus is not used? Just set focus to infinity and keep it there, the rocket isn't going to suddenly jump close enough to the camera to require a change in focus.
I think there's some pictures of the setup on the internet... seems like usually the telescope for aiming the setup and the telescope for the camera are mounted in parallel. So the operator might not even have noticed the camera was out of focus.
Quote from: Raul on 05/27/2018 08:20 pmInterestingly, SpaceTrack lists also eighth object on orbit, cataloged as object H, identified as FALCON 9 DEBRIS - separated on similar orbit as GRACE-FO 1&2.2018-047H 2018-05-26 17:44 UTC - 479/498km/89.04°Quote0 FALCON 9 DEB1 43483U 18047H 18146.73897838 .00064663 00000-0 25203-2 0 99942 43483 89.0445 238.5947 0013792 240.1102 119.8751 15.25615106 468Dispenser, mass or something??
Interestingly, SpaceTrack lists also eighth object on orbit, cataloged as object H, identified as FALCON 9 DEBRIS - separated on similar orbit as GRACE-FO 1&2.2018-047H 2018-05-26 17:44 UTC - 479/498km/89.04°Quote0 FALCON 9 DEB1 43483U 18047H 18146.73897838 .00064663 00000-0 25203-2 0 99942 43483 89.0445 238.5947 0013792 240.1102 119.8751 15.25615106 468
0 FALCON 9 DEB1 43483U 18047H 18146.73897838 .00064663 00000-0 25203-2 0 99942 43483 89.0445 238.5947 0013792 240.1102 119.8751 15.25615106 468
So that was one of two remotes he had set up OUTSIDE the safety perimeter, it being the farthest away. Doesn’t seem too safe to me...
Quote from: Johnnyhinbos on 05/26/2018 10:56 amSo that was one of two remotes he had set up OUTSIDE the safety perimeter, it being the farthest away. Doesn’t seem too safe to me...I think it would have been fine except for the grass fire breaking out?
SpaceXIn March 2010, the Company entered into an agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (“SpaceX”) to secure SpaceX as the primary launch services provider for Iridium NEXT (as amended to date, the “SpaceX Agreement”). The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for seven launches and a reflight option in the event of a launch failure is $453.1 million. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is configured to carry ten Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit for each of these seven launches. In November 2016, the Company entered into an agreement for an eighth launch with SpaceX to launch five additional satellites and share the launch with GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (“GFZ”). This launch took place in May 2018. The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for the eighth launch was $61.9 million. GFZ paid Iridium $29.8 million to include in the launch NASA’s two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On satellites. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had made aggregate payments of $486.4 million to SpaceX, which were capitalized as construction in progress within property and equipment, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet.
Don't remember if this was posted before, from Iridium corporate filings:QuoteSpaceXIn March 2010, the Company entered into an agreement with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (“SpaceX”) to secure SpaceX as the primary launch services provider for Iridium NEXT (as amended to date, the “SpaceX Agreement”). The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for seven launches and a reflight option in the event of a launch failure is $453.1 million. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is configured to carry ten Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit for each of these seven launches. In November 2016, the Company entered into an agreement for an eighth launch with SpaceX to launch five additional satellites and share the launch with GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (“GFZ”). This launch took place in May 2018. The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for the eighth launch was $61.9 million. GFZ paid Iridium $29.8 million to include in the launch NASA’s two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On satellites. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had made aggregate payments of $486.4 million to SpaceX, which were capitalized as construction in progress within property and equipment, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet.
There's no mention of the cost of the dispensers, which were provided by SpaceX. If they are included in the launch cost, then it appears Iridium negotiated a small discount below list price for the actual launches.
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) are pleased to announce that the Falcon 9 will be a major provider of launch services for Iridium NEXT, Iridium’s next-generation satellite constellation. The $492 million contract, while being the largest single commercial launch deal ever signed, nonetheless represents a new benchmark in cost-effective satellite delivery to space.
The Iridium contract with ... SpaceX, valued at $468.1 million, includes the possibility of an eighth launch if one of the seven committed flights fails....As of March 31, Iridium had paid SpaceX $315.3 million for the seven launches.
The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for seven launches and a reflight option in the event of a launch failure is $453.1 million.
With respect to the difference between the last two figures ($468.1 M vs $453.1 M), I'd attribute these $15 M to discount for used boosters (flights 4 and 5)
Quote from: smoliarm on 09/25/2018 05:13 pmWith respect to the difference between the last two figures ($468.1 M vs $453.1 M), I'd attribute these $15 M to discount for used boosters (flights 4 and 5)That would be my guess.
Matt Desch said they received a discount for reusing those boosters. If there were any discounts for delays they probably happened for the earlier flights.
They reused 2 boosters. $15M for two reuses seems to be in the right ballpark.
Quote from: gongora on 09/25/2018 09:30 pmThey reused 2 boosters. $15M for two reuses seems to be in the right ballpark.I thought they reused three including the one with the rideshare.
The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for seven launches and a reflight option in the event of a launch failure is $453.1 million. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is configured to carry ten Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit for each of these seven launches. In November 2016, the Company entered into an agreement for an eighth launch with SpaceX to launch five additional satellites and share the launch with GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (“GFZ”). This launch took place in May 2018. The total price under the SpaceX Agreement for the eighth launch was $61.9 million. GFZ paid Iridium $29.8 million to include in the launch NASA’s two Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On satellites.