SpaceX F9 : Intelsat 40e/TEMPO : CCSFS SLC-40 : 7 April 2023 04:30 UTC

[catdlr]

Discussion Thread for launch of Intelsat 40e

NSF Threads for Intelsat 40e : Discussion

Launch is scheduled for April 7, 2023, 05:30 UTC (1:30am EDT) on Falcon 9 first stage 1076-4 to GTO, from Canaveral SLC-40.  The satellite will host the TEMPO payload from NASA.  First stage will land on an ASDS.  Satellite is around 6 tons.


July 22, 2019 - RELEASE 19-050
Commercial Space Ride Secured for NASA’s New Air Pollution Sensor

NASA has secured a host satellite provider and ride into space for an instrument that will dramatically advance our understanding of air quality over North America.

Maxar Technologies of Westminster, Colorado, will provide satellite integration, launch and data transmission services for NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO
), an Earth science instrument that will observe air pollution over North America in unprecedented detail from a geostationary orbit.

A contract with Maxar was awarded by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center through its Hosted Payload Solutions contract
, a procurement mechanism that provides a pool of qualified vendors that meet the government's needs for various hosted payload space missions at a cost savings to the government.

Scheduled to fly in 2022 on a 1300-class commercial satellite provided by Maxar, TEMPO will make hourly measurements of atmospheric gases – including ozone, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde as well as aerosols – across North America, from a geostationary vantage point 35,786 km (22,236 miles) above Earth’s equator.

While ozone is a major protector of life on Earth and filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation, it is also a greenhouse gas and air pollutant. TEMPO’s new stream of data will provide near-real-time air quality products that will be made publicly available and will help improve air quality forecasting. TEMPO will also enable researchers to improve pollution emission inventories, monitor population exposure, and evaluate effective emission-control strategies.

The TEMPO instrument project is led by Principal Investigator Kelly Chance, from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The instrument was developed by Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, and is in storage awaiting shipment to Maxar’s satellite manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California.

“With the TEMPO instrument fully spaceflight qualified and safely delivered, we are excited about this important step and look forward to working closely with Maxar for the successful deployment of TEMPO,” said Stephen Hall, TEMPO project manager at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

TEMPO will contribute to a global air-quality monitoring constellation that will include similar satellites: the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-4, currently in development, and South Korea’s Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer, scheduled to launch in early 2020.

The instrument’s international science team includes partners in North America, Asia and Europe, and is led by Chance and Deputy Principal Investigator Xiong Liu, also from SAO. Scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration play key roles in the TEMPO science team.

In 2012, TEMPO became the first instrument to be awarded
 by NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program in the Earth Venture Instrument Class Series. Earth Venture projects address new scientific priorities using advanced instrumentation carried on airborne platforms, small satellites, or as hosted payloads on larger platforms. The ESSP Program is located at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

For more information about NASA’s Earth science programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/earth

-end-

Photo Credit:
NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument will provide near-real-time North American air quality information that will be available to the public.
Credits: Ball Aerospace



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

[gongora]

Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center awards Hosted Payload Solutions contract to Maxar Technologies
By Space and Missile Systems Center, SMC Public Affairs / Published July 24, 2019

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE - EL SEGUNDO, Calif. --
The Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has awarded Maxar Technologies a firm fixed-price delivery order under the Hosted Payload Solutions Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will fund the contract, which will commercially host NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, or TEMPO instrument.

Under the contract, Maxar Technologies maintains and manages the configuration of all design interface information between the satellite platform and hosted payload. This effort will be carried out at Maxar’s facility in Palo Alto, California. The period of performance for the payload/satellite integration and test is two years with an additional year of on-orbit operational support. TEMPO is expected to launch in February 2022.

“TEMPO will be the first space-based instrument to measure ozone, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and other key pollutants across North America every hour during the day. These measurements will be taken from a geostationary vantage point about 22,000 miles above Earth’s equator,” said Stephen Hall, NASA’s TEMPO project manager. “Its advanced sensors will be able to distinguish between areas about the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Data collected from TEMPO will revolutionize air quality forecasting and emission control strategies by providing critical air quality information from space.”

The Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the U.S. Air Force's center of acquisition excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. Its portfolio includes the development of advanced space and launch capability and systems, global positioning systems, military satellite communications, defense meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control networks, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.

###

[gongora]

Maxar Technologies Will Build Next-Generation Intelsat Epic Geostationary Communications Satellite with NASA Hosted Payload

February 03, 2020
WESTMINSTER, Colo. & MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Intelsat (NYSE: I) has selected Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, to manufacture Intelsat 40e, a next-generation geostationary communications satellite scheduled to launch in 2022. Maxar will integrate NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) payload with the Intelsat 40e satellite.

“When it’s launched, Intelsat 40e will be the newest addition to our next-generation Intelsat Epic platform, which is already providing our global customers with flexible, high-performance connectivity they can count on today – and in the future,” said Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler. “Intelsat continuously invests in innovative new satellite and hybrid technologies that make it easy and affordable for our customers to connect people, devices and networks, even in the most remote locations. We look forward to partnering with Maxar on this next build.”

Based on Maxar’s proven 1300-class satellite platform and Intelsat Epic, Intelsat 40e will provide Intelsat customers across North and Central America with flexible, high-throughput, “coast-to-coast” coverage. The additional capacity will also support the growing number of customers utilizing Intelsat managed-service offerings, including those working with Intelsat to solve connectivity challenges for commercial and private planes, moving vehicles on land and other mobility applications.

In 2019, NASA selected Maxar to host its TEMPO payload utilizing the Space and Missile Systems Center Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) contract vehicle. Now that Maxar has identified Intelsat 40e as the satellite, the company will begin the integration process. TEMPO is a UV-visible spectrometer that will detect pollutants by measuring sunlight reflected and scattered from the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. The resulting data from TEMPO will be used to enhance air-quality forecasts in North America, enabling the more effective early public warning of pollution incidents. The combined Intelsat 40e and TEMPO programs are expected to be accretive to Maxar’s earnings and cash flow on an annual basis throughout the production process.

“Maxar and Intelsat have a strategic partnership that goes back more than 40 years, and we are honored to have been chosen for Intelsat 40e – the54th satellite that Maxar will build for Intelsat over the course of our long and successful history together,” said Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky. “Maxar is also honored to have collaborated with NASA for more than 50 years, and we are excited to leverage our strong legacy in bridging commercial and government needs to integrate the agency’s TEMPO payload with Intelsat 40e. Maxar’s recent work with NASA on TEMPO and several other Space Infrastructure missions demonstrate positive momentum for our expanding civil space portfolio.”

[zubenelgenubi]

Previous news on Intelsat 40e; unnamed until February 3, 2020:

Maxar announces GEO order, property sale and debt refinancing, sizes WorldView Legion at six satellites, November 4, 2019

[In an earnings call, Maxar CEO Dan] Jablonsky said Maxar has recently been awarded a geostationary communications satellite order that would be built on the company’s flagship 1300 platform. Jablonksy said Maxar is “still working through the contract details” to finalize the order, but that Maxar feels the agreement is evidence of a recovery.

[gongora]

Intelsat Selects SpaceX to Launch Intelsat 40e Satellite

March 17, 2020 08:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time
MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intelsat (NYSE: I) has selected SpaceX as its launch partner for Intelsat 40e (IS-40e). The launch is planned for 2022 on SpaceX’s American-built Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

“We look forward to working with SpaceX to launch Intelsat 40e in 2022,” said Intelsat Chief Services Officer Mike DeMarco. “IS-40e will join the Intelsat Epic high-throughput satellite fleet and integrated IntelsatOne ground network to provide our customers with the managed hybrid-connectivity they need in today’s ever-changing world.”

“We are honored Intelsat, one of the world’s premier satellite operators, has selected a flight-proven Falcon 9 to deliver its next geostationary communications satellite to orbit,” said SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero.

Intelsat 40e is an advanced geostationary satellite that will provide Intelsat’s government and enterprise customers across North and Central America with high-throughput, “coast-to-coast” services. The satellite’s capabilities will support the growing number of customers that depend on Intelsat’s managed services and solutions to easily integrate satellite into their overall networking and communications strategies.

Intelsat announced in February that Maxar Technologies will manufacture IS-40e.

This is the second launch for Intelsat and SpaceX. In 2017, SpaceX launched Intelsat 35e, a satellite currently providing high-throughput coverage for Intelsat customers in portions of North and South America, Europe and Africa.

About Intelsat:
As the foundational architects of satellite technology, Intelsat operates the world’s largest and most advanced satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure. We apply our unparalleled expertise and global scale to connect people, businesses and communities, no matter how difficult the challenge. Intelsat is uniquely positioned to help our customers turn possibilities into reality – transformation happens when businesses, governments and communities use Intelsat’s next-generation global network and managed services to build their connected future. Imagine Here, with us, at Intelsat.com.

[gongora]

[Space News : Feb. 17, 2020] Intelsat revises IS-29e replacement plan, preps second-gen Epic order

Froeliger said Intelsat-40e will have more capacity than any of Intelsat’s other 50 satellites, but declined to give a specific amount.. ... Froeliger said Intelsat-40e, a roughly six-ton satellite with chemical propulsion

40e partially replaces the failed 29e.  40e will focus more on North America and the in-flight connectivity market.

[ddspaceman]

https://twitter.com/INTELSAT/status/1239905690724032512

[gongora]

The FCC filing for Intelsat 40e: SAT-LOA-20200413-00035

scheduled for launch in 3Q 2022
satellite will operate at the 91.0° W.L.
Intelsat 40e is a Maxar FS 1300-140
Intelsat 40e utilizes forty-two Ku-band spot-beams and three Ka-band gateway beams

[gongora]

TEMPO Air Pollution Sensor Treks Toward Satellite Integration

Cambridge, MA - A NASA-Smithsonian satellite instrument that will measure air pollution over North America reached another key milestone this week. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument, which will take hourly daytime pollution measurements at an unprecedented resolution, shipped from Ball Aerospace in Broomfield, Colorado, to Maxar Technologies' satellite manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California.

TEMPO, which is about the size of a dishwasher, will now be integrated onto Intelsat 40e, a communications satellite that will be launched into space in 2022 by SpaceX.
...

Photos: Ball Aerospace

[scr00chy]

Maxar Integrates NASA Pollution-Monitoring Payload with Intelsat 40e Spacecraft

On Nov. 17, Maxar’s Space Program Delivery team integrated NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) payload with its host spacecraft, an Intelsat geostationary communications satellite.

TEMPO, a collaborative effort between NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, will monitor and track air pollution across North America on an hourly basis. Rather than build a dedicated spacecraft to host the Ball Aerospace-built payload, NASA in 2019 partnered with Maxar to host it on Intelsat 40e (IS-40e), which will provide Intelsat’s government and enterprise customers across North and Central America with high-throughput communications services. From a vantage point 22,236 miles above North America, TEMPO will make complete, hourly east-to-west scans of the continent – from Mexico to northern Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. TEMPO can also be configured to dwell on a region of interest: during a major fire or volcano eruption, for example.

“NASA’s contributions to understanding and monitoring Earth’s environment go back more than 60 years, and as a member of the National Climate Task Force, the agency is in a position to inform critical climate policy decisions,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s SVP of Space. “The TEMPO mission will provide data to inform those decisions, and it will deliver near-real-time air quality products to improve air quality forecasting. Maxar is excited to build and integrate the spacecraft that will enable these observations for many years to come.”

By hosting government payloads on commercial satellites, Maxar can help government agencies access space without the cost of building a dedicated spacecraft. Similarly, the hosted payload helps the commercial customer share the cost of the satellite bus, launch and operations. TEMPO is a demanding payload on its host satellite, but Maxar’s 1300-class spacecraft can support optical instruments with fine pointing, low-jitter and high-fidelity sensor data as either a hosted sensor or a dedicated mission.

The fully integrated IS-40e spacecraft will soon begin environmental testing in Maxar’s Palo Alto, Calif., facilities, to ensure that it can withstand the rigors of launch and the harsh operating environment of space. Maxar is on track to ship the spacecraft to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., in October 2022 for a late 2022 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

[Yiosie]

Launch delayed to January 2023:

NASA hosted payloads waiting for rides to orbit [dated Jan. 25]

NASA chose Maxar Technologies to find a host for TEMPO, which is scheduled to travel to orbit in January 2023 on the Intelsat 40e communications satellite.

[gongora]

NASA Air Pollution Instrument Completes Satellite Integration
Jul 5, 2022

On June 30, crews successfully completed the first fully integrated powered testing of the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), instrument on Intelsat IS40e at Maxar Technologies' satellite manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California. This testing marks the completion of the TEMPO Instrument integration with the IS40e satellite.

From its geostationary orbit — a high Earth orbit that allows satellites to match Earth's rotation — TEMPO will take hourly daytime air quality observations at an unprecedented spatial resolution. Its measurements will reach from Puerto Rico and Mexico to northern Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, encompassing the entire lower 48 United States.

"The completion of TEMPO Instrument integration with its host satellite will allow Intelsat IS40e to transition into environmental testing, which brings us one significant and exciting step closer to launch," said Kevin Daugherty, TEMPO project manager at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Environmental testing will include thermal vacuum, dynamics and electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility. These tests will ensure the spacecraft will successfully endure conditions it will be exposed to during launch and in the harsh environment of space. TEMPO is currently targeted to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket in January 2023. 

From its geostationary orbit TEMPO will also form part of an air quality satellite "virtual constellation" that will track pollution around the Northern Hemisphere.

Kelly Chance, of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the principal investigator for TEMPO. Ball Aerospace built the TEMPO instrument.

[Comga]

I hear that invitations are soon to be sent out to the team (maybe including me!) to watch the launch......
in March of 2023.
So two months later than the current thread title.

[AndrewM]

Intelsat 40e is still being assembled.

the company also contracted Maxar to manufacture its next-generation Intelsat 40e geostationary communications satellite, currently in assembly.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221213006064/en/Maxar-built-Galaxy-35-and-Galaxy-36-Satellites-for-Intelsat-Begin-Commissioning-Activities-On-Orbit-After-Launch

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

Intelsat 40e/TEMPO:
SFN Launch Schedule, updated January 14:

March 7
Falcon 9
Intelsat 40e/TEMPO
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Intelsat 40e communications satellite for Intelsat. Intelsat 40e will join Intelsat’s “Epic” fleet of high-throughput satellites, providing in-flight connectivity and other mobile communications services over North and Central America. Intelsat 40e is a partial replacement for Intelsat 29e, which failed in 2019. Intelsat 40e hosts NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument to measure atmospheric chemistry and monitor air pollution over North America. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The satellite was built by Maxar, and is based on the 1300 platform. [Jan. 14]

[Comga]

The word from a colleague with direct knowledge is that Intelsat 40e will not launch on March 7.
Current target date is March 23 but a slip “into April would not be surprising”.

[Comga]

The same colleague says that the new target launch date is April 7.

[Comga]

Good news:  The April 7 date is holding
Bad news: Launch time is 12:30 AM 

[Comga]

Word from my contact is that the TEMPO launch is still planned for April 7, but now scheduled for 1:30 AM.

[GWR64]

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/nasa-air-pollution-sensor-integrated-and-tested-with-commercial-satellite-host

Mar 1, 2023

NASA Air Pollution Sensor Integrated and Tested with Commercial Satellite Host

[picture]
The TEMPO air pollution sensor is hosted on Intelsat 40e, seen here at the Maxar Technologies facility in Palo Alto, California, where it was built. The instrument and the entire spacecraft recently passed pre-launch testing at the facility.

Air pollution is an existential threat to millions of Americans with asthma and other health issues. Responding to that threat, NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory are innovating to improve observations of air quality in North America.

Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) is an ultraviolet and visible spectrometer that will be hosted on Intelsat 40e, a commercial satellite built by Maxar Technologies. TEMPO’s sensors will measure sunlight reflected and scattered by Earth’s surface and atmosphere, allowing it to observe the spectral signatures of air pollutants, including ozone and nitrogen dioxide.

On Feb. 27, 2023, the instrument and the entire spacecraft successfully passed pre-launch testing at Maxar's facility in Palo Alto, California. TEMPO underwent thermal vacuum, dynamics, and end-to-end capability testing to ensure it will withstand launch conditions and the harsh environment of space. Tests also ensured that commanding, telemetry, and mission data are flowing accurately.

Scheduled to launch in April 2023 from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, TEMPO will be the first instrument to observe air pollution hourly during daytime over North America. It will make measurements across an area that extends from Puerto Rico to northern Canada and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, encompassing the entire continental United States.

TEMPO data will play an important role in scientific studies of phenomena such as rush-hour pollution and the movement of emissions from forest fires and volcanoes. Scientists could eventually apply TEMPO observations to air quality alerts for people in pollution hot spots and those living with health issues.

TEMPO will also form part of a virtual constellation of air pollution monitors that will give scientists a big-picture view of air quality around the Northern Hemisphere.

Ball Aerospace in Broomfield, Colorado, built the TEMPO instrument. Kelly Chance, a scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts — part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian — is the principal investigator.

Joe Atkinson
NASA Langley Research Center
Last Updated: Mar 1, 2023
Editor: Joe Atkinson

[GewoonLukas_]

NextSpaceflight (Updated March 17)
NET April 7th, 05:30 UTC
Booster B1076-4
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/4083

[GewoonLukas_]

Intelsat 40e has arrived at Cape Canaveral:

Intelsat 40e has landed in Florida! In preparation for an April launch, the @Maxar-built IS-40e satellite and its hosted pollution-monitoring @NASA payload known as TEMPO arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

https://twitter.com/INTELSAT/status/1638205891362029569

[GewoonLukas_]

NextSpaceflight (Updated March 28)
Launch NET 7 April 2023, 04:39 UTC
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/4083

[Ken the Bin]

NGA notice.

291823Z MAR 23
NAVAREA IV 375/23(11,26).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   070429Z TO 070717Z APR, ALTERNATE 
   080429Z TO 080716Z, 0428Z TO 0716Z DAILY
   09 THRU 11 AND 0427Z TO 0715Z DAILY
   12 AND 13 APR IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-38.01N 080-36.98W, 28-39.00N 080-34.00W,
      28-39.00N 080-10.00W, 28-31.00N 080-06.00W,
      28-31.00N 080-30.00W, 28-31.74N 080-33.63W,
      28-31.82N 080-33.67W.
   B. 28-19.00N 074-53.00W, 28-27.00N 074-52.00W,
      28-36.00N 072-44.00W, 28-28.00N 072-23.00W,
     28-09.00N 072-27.00W, 28-01.00N 072-49.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 130815Z APR 23.//

[OneSpeed]

NGA notice.

Map from the NGA notice. ASDS some 671km downrange.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1642545918632239106

Departure! ASOG droneship and Doug are underway from Port Canaveral to support the Intelsat 40e mission.

This departure then paves the way for JRTI droneship to enter Port shortly after with B1077 from Starlink 5-10, which is waiting just offshore.

🎥 nsf.live/spacecoast

https://twitter.com/jerrypikephoto/status/1642569368360894465

One droneship coming in, one droneship going out!

https://twitter.com/jerrypikephoto/status/1642571559733690371

What a sight to see this morning at the Cape! Tug Crosby Skipper and SpaceX droneship JRTI return to port with Falcon 9 B1077 as droneship ASOG heads out with Doug for the next mission💪 @SpaceOffshore

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/jerrypikephoto/status/1642572223931207681

Doug and A Shortfall of Gravitas head downrange for the upcoming Intelsat 40e/TEMPO mission currently scheduled for Friday at 12:29AM

[Ken the Bin]

L-3 weather forecast. 85% 'Go' for April 7. 90% 'Go' for April 8. All Additional Risk Criteria are Low for both days.

[Ken the Bin]

L-2 weather forecast. 85% 'Go' for both April 7 and April 8. All Additional Risk Criteria are Low for both days.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/intelsat/status/1643327468437135362

Intelsat 40e is fueled up and one step closer to launch!
Working closely with IS-40e manufacturer @Maxar, IS-40e completed propellant loading operations and is now onto the next phase of the launch integration.

The IS-40e satellite and its hosted pollution-monitoring @NASA payload known as TEMPO is encapsulated under the payload fairings and will soon move to the hangar where it will be mated to the launch vehicle.

https://twitter.com/intelsat/status/1643327732560822272

When in geosynchronous orbit over North America, the communication satellite will provide focused coverage for many of Intelsat’s customers, including commercial aviation, mobility and networks.

[Ken the Bin]

L-1 weather forecast. 90% 'Go' for April 7. 85% 'Go' for April 8. All Additional Risk Criteria are Low for both days.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=intelsat-IS40e

SpaceX is targeting Friday, April 7 for launch of the Intelsat IS-40e mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 119-minute launch window opens at 12:30 a.m. ET (04:30 UTC). If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Saturday, April 8 with a 119-minute window opening at 12:29 a.m. ET (04:29 UTC).

The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, and one Starlink mission. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.

[Conexion Espacial]

SpaceX Mission Patch

[Ken the Bin]

L-0 weather forecast. 90% 'Go' for both April 7 and April 8. All Additional Risk Criteria are Low for both days.

[Comga]

My TEMPO program contact said that the rocket went vertical yesterday afternoon and “the go for launch meeting at 6 PM was successful”.

edit: He was not at the rocket!  My mistake☹️
edit2: not yet, soon🙂

[GewoonLukas_]

Launch Hazard Areas for #Intelsat 40e mission from CCSFS SLC-40, valid for NET 07 Apr 04:30 UTC, alternatively 08 to 13 Apr based on issued NOTAM/NOTMAR. B1076.4 landing 673km downrange. Estimated fairing recovery position approximately 872km downrange. http://bit.ly/LHA-24

https://twitter.com/Raul74Cz/status/1644021762760245249

[soltasto]

"Press kit" capture with OCR

[Comga]

My friend was by the launch site this afternoon, sent me this, and gave me permission to post it.


Go Falcon! Go Intelsat 40E! Go TEMPO!

[jcm]

SpaceX Mission Patch

Oops "Intelsat" misspelt on the patch!

[Ken the Bin]

Mission Control Audio (video id timhQSmtEdQ):

[Comga]

What’s with the silence?

SpaceflightNow has video coverage at T-20:00 proceeding well.
I think that’s the T-20 vent visible

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1644191453655056384

T-20 minute vent.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[FutureSpaceTourist]

What’s with the silence?

I’m away with intermittent WiFi. May not be able to cover as usual

[Comga]

SpaceX webcast is live at T-10:50
Count proceeding

[FutureSpaceTourist]

T-10

[Comga]

T-7:00
Engine chill
(SpaceX webcast is lagging by at least 30 seconds.)

[FutureSpaceTourist]

T-6

[Comga]

T-6:10
Stage 1 RP load complete
T-5:00
T-4:00
Strongback retract started

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Fairing halves flying for 2nd and 8th times

[Comga]

Clam arms open
T-3:00
Stage 1 LOX load complete
T-2:00
Stage 2 LOX Load Complete
T-1:00
Falcon 9 is in startup

[Comga]

Liftoff!

[Comga]

Supersonic
Passed Max-Q

[Comga]

MECO
Staging
SES-1

[Comga]

Fairing jettison
Grid fins deployed
"Both vehicles are following nominal tranectories"

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1644196108564824065

LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1076-4 launches with Intelsat 40e with NASA's TEMPO from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral. 

Overview: nasaspaceflight.com/2023/04/intesl…… - by Anthony Iemole (@SpaceXFan97). 

NSF Livestream: youtube.com/watch?v=TUwq9d…

[Comga]

Entry burn ignition
Engry burn ended
"Stage 1 FTS safed"

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Belated liftoff shots

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1644196888848003076

Staging 1-2.

[Comga]

SEC0-1
Stage 1 Transsonic
Stage 1 Landing burn stated
Landing!
"Nominal Orbit insertion"

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Separation and fairing sep shots

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1644197149289185280

Moon Jellyfish!

[FutureSpaceTourist]

twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1644198313359540224

SpaceX Falcon 9 B1076-4 lands on drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG)"

This is never gonna get old!

youtube.com/watch?v=TUwq9d…

https://twitter.com/alexphysics13/status/1644198709599645696

This makes it the 33rd landing on ASOG and the 110th landing in a row since the last landing failure.

This was also the 120th launch from SLC-40 by SpaceX.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Landing shots

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/booster_buddies/status/1644199773631664128

Great launch tonight!
Thanks for the show #SpaceX!

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1644200784698003456

Under the full moon, Falcon 9 streaks to orbit from Cape Canaveral early this morning with Intelsat’s IS-40e satellite and NASA’s TEMPO instrument

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/stuck4ger/status/1644196580734402561

@Spacex #Falcon9 literally punches a joke in the clouds on its way to orbit.

[Comga]

SES-2
and SES-2 shut-down
"Nominal orbit insertion"

[FutureSpaceTourist]

SES-2 shots

[FutureSpaceTourist]

SECO-2

[FutureSpaceTourist]

T+29 nice view

[Comga]

Payload deployment!
Over and done for Falcon 9!

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Deployed

[FutureSpaceTourist]

SpaceX webcast has ended

[FutureSpaceTourist]

twitter.com/spacex/status/1644204205153083392

Deployment of @Intelsat IS-40e confirmed

https://twitter.com/intelsat/status/1644204528626028544

👏👏👏

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Congratulations to SpaceX, Intelsat and NASA on a successful launch mission.

Thanks to Comga for stepping into the breach with live launch updates.

Great start to April from SpaceX, but hopefully the best is still to come.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1644206081848008708

Falcon 9 lofting the Intelsat-40e satellite to space with NASA's TEMPO integrated onboard.

This long exposure image is what we see in Titusville when a payload is launched due east, creating a laser beam in the sky.

@NASASpaceflight mission recap:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/04/inteslat-40e-tempo/

[GewoonLukas_]

INTELSAT 40E PERFORMING WELL AFTER LAUNCH

04/07/2023

WESTMINSTER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence, today announced that Intelsat 40e (IS-40e) is performing as expected after being launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Shortly after launch earlier today, the satellite deployed its solar arrays and began receiving and sending signals. Next, IS-40e will begin firing thrusters to commerce its journey to final geostationary orbit. Its hosted payload, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument, will begin commissioning activities in late May or early June. Maxar identified the host for TEMPO and integrated the instrument with IS-40e before it was delivered for launch.

[...]

“Today’s launch shows the value of commercial and government teamwork,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Space. “We have decades of experience building communications technology and Earth-monitoring spacecraft. This satellite serves both missions, benefitting people on Earth in new ways using Maxar’s expertise.”

Maxar’s 1300-class spacecraft can support optical instruments with fine pointing, low-jitter and high-fidelity sensor data with either a hosted sensor or a dedicated mission. By hosting government payloads on commercial satellites, Maxar can assist government agencies access space without the cost of building a dedicated spacecraft. Similarly, the hosted payload helps the commercial customer share the cost of the satellite bus, launch and operations.

Based on Maxar’s proven 1300-class satellite platform, IS-40e will provide Intelsat customers across North America with flexible, high-throughput coast-to-coast coverage. The additional capacity will also support Intelsat’s growing demand for solving connectivity challenges for commercial and private planes, moving vehicles on land and other mobility applications.

Today’s launch added more Maxar-built spacecraft to Intelsat’s fleet, having recently launched Galaxy 35 and Galaxy 36 at the end of 2022.

[...]

[Galactic Penguin SST]

2023-052A/56174 in 181 x 30719 km x 26.98°
2023-052B/56175 in 176 x 30659 km x 26.99°

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1644370642207404033

[GewoonLukas_]

2023-052A/56174 in 181 x 30719 km x 26.98°
2023-052B/56175 in 176 x 30659 km x 26.99°

Slightly sub-synchronous, so Falcon 9 can't quite get 6.161kg into a full GTO (for reference, Inmarsat-6 F2 at 5.470kg went slightly super-synchronous to 42.000km)

[ZachS09]

2023-052A/56174 in 181 x 30719 km x 26.98°
2023-052B/56175 in 176 x 30659 km x 26.99°

Slightly sub-synchronous, so Falcon 9 can't quite get 6.161kg into a full GTO (for reference, Inmarsat-6 F2 at 5.470kg went slightly super-synchronous to 42.000km)

Hence the 5.5-ton limit for a full GTO with Stage 1 drone ship recovery.

[GWR64]

2023-052A/56174 in 181 x 30719 km x 26.98°
2023-052B/56175 in 176 x 30659 km x 26.99°

Slightly sub-synchronous, so Falcon 9 can't quite get 6.161kg into a full GTO (for reference, Inmarsat-6 F2 at 5.470kg went slightly super-synchronous to 42.000km)

Hence the 5.5-ton limit for a full GTO with Stage 1 drone ship recovery.

The Falcon 9, with drone ship landing, now exceeds the 5.5-ton limit to GTO, i think. (GEO -1800 m/s)
The "payload mass" also includes the LV to satellite adapter. (+100-150 kg or so)
ULA calls it Payload Systems Weight.
Atlas V users guide:

Performance capabilities quoted throughout this document are presented in terms of Payload Systems
Weight (PSW). PSW is defined as the separated SC, the SC-to-LV adapter, and other mission-unique
hardware required on the LV to support the SC.

Arianespace handles it that way too.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Photos from NASA Langley

[FutureSpaceTourist]

twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/1644390477334970375

Last shots from my remote cameras at LC-40 of this mornings #SpaceX's Intelsat 40e/TEMPO at lift off.  #NASA 1/2

https://twitter.com/gregscott_photo/status/1644390603784847379

Last shots from my remote cameras at LC-40 of this mornings #SpaceX's Intelsat 40e/TEMPO at lift off.  #NASA 2/2

[LouScheffer]

2023-052A/56174 in 181 x 30719 km x 26.98°
2023-052B/56175 in 176 x 30659 km x 26.99°

Slightly sub-synchronous, so Falcon 9 can't quite get 6.161kg into a full GTO (for reference, Inmarsat-6 F2 at 5.470kg went slightly super-synchronous to 42.000km)

Hence the 5.5-ton limit for a full GTO with Stage 1 drone ship recovery.

The Falcon 9, with drone ship landing, now exceeds the 5.5-ton limit to GTO, i think. (GEO -1800 m/s)

We can guess the F9 capability pretty closely from this launch.   The launch needed about 95 m/s more to get to full GTO.  If we apply the usual assumptions about the second stage (ISP=348, fuel = 107T, empty mass = 5.5T (with residuals) ), then to get 95 m/s more, they would need to reduce the payload to 5.8 tonnes.

So F9, with droneship recovery, should be able to put 5.8 tonnes to a nominal GTO (GEO-1800 at 27 degrees).

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/_mgde_/status/1644382120259747859

To think that SLC-40 will (hopefully) soon look so different with a new crew access tower! Enjoying the current look while we can 🤙🏻

Falcon 9 carrying Intelsat 40e & TEMPO skyward earlier this morning  at 12:30am EDT

📸: Me/@NASASpaceflight

[GewoonLukas_]

Since the landing of Falcon 9 during the Intelsat IS-40e mission, ASOG droneship has started sailing south towards The Bahamas, rather than towards Port Canaveral.

Support Ship Doug has separated away and is sailing directly like normal. Should arrive with fairings after midnight tonight.

ASOG is being towed by tug Crosby Skipper.

https://twitter.com/SpaceOffshore/status/1644798629926821893

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1645055508548550656

Arrival! Doug has returned to Port Canaveral with both fairing halves from the Intelsat-40e mission.

Live views: nsf.live/spacecoast

[GewoonLukas_]

View from the second stage during the @INTELSAT IS-40e mission

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1645458984235675650

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/derekiswise/status/1645489957899759616

Last Friday's Falcon 9 launch of Intelsat 40e.

#SlowMo #SpaceX #launch #Falcon9

📸 me for @space_explored

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1645522850139320320

ASOG and SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1076 are in no great rush to reach Port Canaveral following the Intelsat 40e mission.

The droneship has diverted through The Bahamas to get some protection from very poor weather in the Atlantic. 16ft significant wave height on the direct route!

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1645907072721235969

Weather is improving on the East Coast and ASOG should hopefully reach Port Canaveral with Falcon 9 as soon as Wednesday night.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1645969020917612547

The IS-40e/TEMPO satellite has begun orbit raising: from an initial 182 x 30717 km x 27.0 deg orbit it is now in 209 x 35659 km x 26.9 deg orbit.
The strategy is to raise apogee to GEO altitude, then raise perigee and decrease inclination.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1646257123515408384

ASOG and Falcon 9 B1076 have nearly reached Port Canaveral after a diversion through The Bahamas due to poor weather.

At current pace, ASOG will be nearby by 9pm tonight.

Arrival might be delayed later or even to Thursday morning as the Falcon 9 unloading dock is occupied and a ship reshuffle needs to occur first to make room.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/rbalephoto/status/1646407770365734913

First stage is slowly continuing its trek toward Port

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasa_nerd/status/1646471306420842496

Morning jog towards the Port on the Space Coast.

ASOG with SpaceX Falcon 9 following the Intelsat 40e launch.

When it enters Port Canaveral, you can watch it live: youtube.com/live/gnt2wZBg8…

📸 for @NASASpaceflight

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/jerrypikephoto/status/1646481954156544002

Falcon 9 is finally back! After a weather detour B1076 arrives back in port.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spaceoffshore/status/1646485000521412610

Arrival! ASOG droneship finally returns to Port Canaveral with Falcon 9 almost a week after launch because of poor weather.

nsf.live/spacecoast

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Clear shot of Octagrabber being used again (unlike last return to port)

https://twitter.com/jerrypikephoto/status/1646482728450248709

Falcon 9 arrives under gloomy skies this morning

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasa_nerd/status/1646510943310839808

SpaceX Falcon 9 B1076.4 makes a morning return to Port Canaveral.

Check out the mission story: nasaspaceflight.com/2023/04/intesl…

📸 for @NASASpaceflight

[Lewis007]

https://twitter.com/rbalephoto/status/1646516979145277440

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/nasa_nerd/status/1646660252811636737

A few other captures from this morning’s SpaceX Falcon 9 journey through Port Canaveral.

📸 for @NASASpaceflight

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1645969020917612547

The IS-40e/TEMPO satellite has begun orbit raising: from an initial 182 x 30717 km x 27.0 deg orbit it is now in 209 x 35659 km x 26.9 deg orbit.
The strategy is to raise apogee to GEO altitude, then raise perigee and decrease inclination.

56174    INTELSAT 40E   2023-052A      709.68min   15.40deg   35658km   4296km

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1645969020917612547

The IS-40e/TEMPO satellite has begun orbit raising: from an initial 182 x 30717 km x 27.0 deg orbit it is now in 209 x 35659 km x 26.9 deg orbit.
The strategy is to raise apogee to GEO altitude, then raise perigee and decrease inclination.

56174    INTELSAT 40E   2023-052A      709.68min   15.40deg   35658km   4296km

56174    INTELSAT 40E   2023-052A      1428.56min   0.03deg   35660km   35618km   

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1648871244735946755

The IS-40e/TEMPO satellite  has completed orbit raising and is now drifting in GEO over 107 deg W at 2 deg E per day  @TEMPO_Mission

[Targeteer]

https://www.intelsat.com/newsroom/intelsat-starts-testing-nasa-air-pollution-monitor/?fbclid=IwAR0v8EIIP2ZguzIhEtHUnv3f5_y8UAaQ13BUp8y8NlS8GSjGTYj6li4rX6c

Intelsat Starts Testing NASA Air Pollution Monitor
June 14, 2023

MCLEAN, Va. – Intelsat, operator of one of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial networks and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), successfully powered up the first space-based instrument to monitor major air pollutants across North America and send data back to earth as part of the first phase of in-orbit testing.

The new UV-visible spectrometer, operated by Intelsat for NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), is hosted on the Maxar-manufactured Intelsat 40e (IS-40e) satellite launched in April and now operating in its final geostationary orbit location. TEMPO data will play an important role in scientific studies of phenomena such as rush-hour pollution and the movement of emissions from forest fires and volcanoes.

“The Intelsat communications and ground system is working seamlessly as we start sending commands to TEMPO and receiving data,” said Jean-Luc Froeliger, Intelsat’s Senior VP of Space Systems. “Working closely with our partners, the rigorous testing is on schedule with the next milestone coming in July when we start to receive high-resolution data and images.”

With TEMPO powered up, Intelsat and team turned on heaters to dry out the instrument and extract any moisture that accumulated on the ground before the April launch. While the instrument is drying out, periodic data is being transmitted. The instrument will then be cooled down to operational temperatures in space for the next phase of system testing. The early data that NASA and SAO scientists collect this summer will allow them to adjust settings to optimize TEMPO’s performance before routine operations start in October.