Quote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:07 pmOr am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?Almost no orbits are attainable from Boca Chica, it's supposed to supplement the Florida pads for launching GTO comsats. A recent environmental study for the proposed nearby LNG plant revealed SpaceX can only use the northernmost launch corridor highlighted on the map.
Or am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?
Quote from: old_sellsword on 05/02/2017 09:14 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:07 pmOr am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?Almost no orbits are attainable from Boca Chica, it's supposed to supplement the Florida pads for launching GTO comsats. A recent environmental study for the proposed nearby LNG plant revealed SpaceX can only use the northernmost launch corridor highlighted on the map.Wow. I learned something new again. I did not know that.Remind me what the point of Boca Chica is then? Why did they not instead choose a location that gives them more launch options?
Quote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:20 pmQuote from: old_sellsword on 05/02/2017 09:14 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:07 pmOr am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?Almost no orbits are attainable from Boca Chica, it's supposed to supplement the Florida pads for launching GTO comsats. A recent environmental study for the proposed nearby LNG plant revealed SpaceX can only use the northernmost launch corridor highlighted on the map.Wow. I learned something new again. I did not know that.Remind me what the point of Boca Chica is then? Why did they not instead choose a location that gives them more launch options?I was thinking the same thing. Along the lines of 'well this explains the pace of construction at BC.'
Quote from: wannamoonbase on 05/02/2017 09:21 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:20 pmQuote from: old_sellsword on 05/02/2017 09:14 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:07 pmOr am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?Almost no orbits are attainable from Boca Chica, it's supposed to supplement the Florida pads for launching GTO comsats. A recent environmental study for the proposed nearby LNG plant revealed SpaceX can only use the northernmost launch corridor highlighted on the map.Wow. I learned something new again. I did not know that.Remind me what the point of Boca Chica is then? Why did they not instead choose a location that gives them more launch options?I was thinking the same thing. Along the lines of 'well this explains the pace of construction at BC.'Boca Chica is the best site for GTO/GEO and BLEO missions. Those make up a good part of the manifest.
Quote from: envy887 on 05/02/2017 09:45 pmBoca Chica is the best site for GTO/GEO and BLEO missions. Those make up a good part of the manifest.Well hang on. So that's pretty much everything beyond LEO? Does this include Mars colonization missions? Considering that the ITS is presumably meant to park in LEO for refueling, if Boca Chica can't do LEO launches, does that mean they can't launch the ITS?
Boca Chica is the best site for GTO/GEO and BLEO missions. Those make up a good part of the manifest.
Quote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:20 pmQuote from: old_sellsword on 05/02/2017 09:14 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:07 pmOr am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?Almost no orbits are attainable from Boca Chica, it's supposed to supplement the Florida pads for launching GTO comsats. A recent environmental study for the proposed nearby LNG plant revealed SpaceX can only use the northernmost launch corridor highlighted on the map.Wow. I learned something new again. I did not know that.Remind me what the point of Boca Chica is then? Why did they not instead choose a location that gives them more launch options?It allows them to launch from closer to the equator for GTO missions. There isn't really a better place to launch from inside the continental US. Most of their payloads are GTO so that site works well for those. The others can go off 40 and 39A in FL. I also remember seeing something about only being able to launch a couple FH missions from Boca Chica. 3 GTO pads should give them quite a bit of operational flexibility which is the stated purpose of having all those pads. Only 39A will be equipped for crew at least initially as far as I understand it. So it is unlikely 39A will be taken offline anytime soon other than for final FH and crew prep once 40 is online in August.
Quote from: cppetrie on 05/02/2017 09:48 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:20 pmQuote from: old_sellsword on 05/02/2017 09:14 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:07 pmOr am I missing something else, like certain orbits not being attainable from Boca Chica?Almost no orbits are attainable from Boca Chica, it's supposed to supplement the Florida pads for launching GTO comsats. A recent environmental study for the proposed nearby LNG plant revealed SpaceX can only use the northernmost launch corridor highlighted on the map.Wow. I learned something new again. I did not know that.Remind me what the point of Boca Chica is then? Why did they not instead choose a location that gives them more launch options?It allows them to launch from closer to the equator for GTO missions. There isn't really a better place to launch from inside the continental US. Most of their payloads are GTO so that site works well for those. The others can go off 40 and 39A in FL. I also remember seeing something about only being able to launch a couple FH missions from Boca Chica. 3 GTO pads should give them quite a bit of operational flexibility which is the stated purpose of having all those pads. Only 39A will be equipped for crew at least initially as far as I understand it. So it is unlikely 39A will be taken offline anytime soon other than for final FH and crew prep once 40 is online in August.Well, this seems to present a problem. Consider that 39A was the intended launch facility in Elon's ITS presentation, that means at some point it will have to go offline to be revamped for the ITS. That will presumably take the better part of a year.If Boca Chica and Vandenberg both have significant orbital constraints, that leaves only LC40 for all of their LEO launches. And if SpaceX's plans come to fruition, their launch frequency by then will be 50+ a year. So an accident on LC40, while LC39 is being revamped for ITS will leave their operations severely constrained.That's where I thought Boca Chica was meant to serve as backup, but evidently not, based on Envy and Old Sellsword's posts above.
Well, this seems to present a problem. Consider that 39A was the intended launch facility in Elon's ITS presentation, that means at some point it will have to go offline to be revamped for the ITS. That will presumably take the better part of a year.If Boca Chica and Vandenberg both have significant orbital constraints, that leaves only LC40 for all of their LEO launches. And if SpaceX's plans come to fruition, their launch frequency by then will be 50+ a year. So an accident on LC40, while LC39 is being revamped for ITS will leave their operations severely constrained.That's where I thought Boca Chica was meant to serve as backup, but evidently not, based on Envy and Old Sellsword's posts above.
Quote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:49 pmQuote from: envy887 on 05/02/2017 09:45 pmBoca Chica is the best site for GTO/GEO and BLEO missions. Those make up a good part of the manifest.Well hang on. So that's pretty much everything beyond LEO? Does this include Mars colonization missions? Considering that the ITS is presumably meant to park in LEO for refueling, if Boca Chica can't do LEO launches, does that mean they can't launch the ITS?All GTO missions launch to LEO first ....
Since the Comsat network will be in LEO, will the narrow Boca Chica LEO orbital corridor be sufficient to launch the entire Comsat network from?
Quote from: Lars-J on 05/02/2017 09:54 pmQuote from: M.E.T. on 05/02/2017 09:49 pmQuote from: envy887 on 05/02/2017 09:45 pmBoca Chica is the best site for GTO/GEO and BLEO missions. Those make up a good part of the manifest.Well hang on. So that's pretty much everything beyond LEO? Does this include Mars colonization missions? Considering that the ITS is presumably meant to park in LEO for refueling, if Boca Chica can't do LEO launches, does that mean they can't launch the ITS?All GTO missions launch to LEO first ....Well, that's stretching the definition of what's generally considered a "low-Earth orbit." If your initial post-MECO orbit is 33,500 some odd km x 185, that's not really "LEO" as it's used by most people, especially in the aerospace industry.
Plus, by then they'll need another pad set up for crew for the 12 flights around the moon each year.