SpaceX Vandenberg SFB facilities

[MATTBLAK]

Would that also raise the possibility of a mobile service structure at VAFB too?

(I hope so, purely because I love the atheistic they're going for)

I think you were actually going for 'aesthetic'.

[Cheapchips]

Would that also raise the possibility of a mobile service structure at VAFB too?

(I hope so, purely because I love the atheistic they're going for)

I think you were actually going for 'aesthetic'.

Lol. Yes, indeed. I don't think Service Structures really have theological viewpoint. "Damn you autocorrect" seems very out of place given the context. 

[danneely]

Would that also raise the possibility of a mobile service structure at VAFB too?

(I hope so, purely because I love the atheistic they're going for)

Presumably yes if SpaceX does resume west coast launches, the NROs giant camera equipped spysats are launched from Vandenberg and are too heavy for a standard Falcon 9.

[soltasto]

Would that also raise the possibility of a mobile service structure at VAFB too?

(I hope so, purely because I love the atheistic they're going for)

Presumably yes if SpaceX does resume west coast launches, the NROs giant camera equipped spysats are launched from Vandenberg and are too heavy for a standard Falcon 9.

I don't think they are too heavy for F9 (Polar 2 requires about 17000kg to a 450km x 450km x 98.2° orbit, an expendable F9 can most likely do it) but they for sure need vertical integration. I wonder if we will be able to get construction plans for SLC-4E too.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Regarding the new hiring positions....what do you all made of this statement that SpaceX seems to be winding down their operations at VAFB? I have the feeling that at least the US government might shoot it down if proposed, but it's still interesting to see this statement crops up. 

https://twitter.com/joroulette/status/1293569054888857600

[gongora]

SpaceX has a launch from Vandenberg in three months.  It hasn't been mothballed yet, and it will probably come in handy again when SpaceX starts launching their higher inclination Starlink sats.

[Lars-J]

SpaceX has a launch from Vandenberg in three months.  It hasn't been mothballed yet, and it will probably come in handy again when SpaceX starts launching their higher inclination Starlink sats.

The NSSL phase 2 award IMO makes it extremely unlikely that the VAFB pad will be mothballed. The heavier payloads they will launch will require the VAFB pad.

[Thorny]

The NSSL phase 2 award IMO makes it extremely unlikely that the VAFB pad will be mothballed. The heavier payloads they will launch will require the VAFB pad.

What could a Falcon Heavy do to polar out of the Cape?

[envy887]

The NSSL phase 2 award IMO makes it extremely unlikely that the VAFB pad will be mothballed. The heavier payloads they will launch will require the VAFB pad.

What could a Falcon Heavy do to polar out of the Cape?

The heaviest polar payload requirement is 17,000 kg to 833 km circular at 98 degrees. FH should be able to easily do that out of the Cape, and probably RTLS both side boosters, even with the dogleg.

[SoCal_Eyeball]

As previously noted, there seems to be new job posting activity on SpaceX's careers page for Vandenberg.  Yesterday there were 15 positions; not sure which one was dropped, but today there are 14, up from 7 last month.  Reading through them, one caught my eye today for a Launch Engineer, Fluid Systems:

https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/4804690002?gh_jid=4804690002

Note the mention of Falcon Heavy:
"As a team, the fluids site engineering team is responsible for all of the fluids systems necessary to launch our Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets... "  "Key responsibilities include system design, analysis, implementation, activation, and sustainment planning."  "...Select components, such as valves, pumps, piping, tanks, and filters, and provide detailed specifications for their purchase."

Would it be an unreasonable assumption that an upgrade for Falcon Heavy launches is being built at Vandy?  Why would such planning and design be needed for the existing F9 launch complex?

An alternative explanation is that the job posting was cut and pasted from one previously offered in Florida.

[guckyfan]

Assuming the deployment modification gets the green light from the FCC SpaceX needs to do over 10 launches to 97.6°. That's going to be from Vandenberg. As they have no ASDS in the Pacific any more would they use RTLS with 43 sats?

[edzieba]

An alternative explanation is that the job posting was cut and pasted from one previously offered in Florida.

Or any hire is expected to shuttle between Vandy & the Cape as needed at the time, as the SpaceX launch team(s) generally have before.

[soltasto]

SAOCOM is launching to 97.89°, so they might launch those Starlink mission from florida on the new polar corridor.

[guckyfan]

SAOCOM is launching to 97.89°, so they might launch those Starlink mission from florida on the new polar corridor.

Thanks. I was not aware that polar trajectories from the Cape go that far.

[danneely]

SAOCOM is launching to 97.89°, so they might launch those Starlink mission from florida on the new polar corridor.

Thanks. I was not aware that polar trajectories from the Cape go that far.

567km SSO (97.7* inclination) is the most widely used polar orbit; if they couldn't get to that it wouldn't be worth the effort of getting approval for the corridor.  SAOCOM isn't going to SSO, but its orbital inclination is within rounding error of it.

[Asteroza]

We've seen renders of a MST for LC39A to provide a VIF, but have we seen a VIF render for VAFB? Or is it a case of F9H may fly from VAFB, but not any VIF requiring payloads?

[gongora]

We've seen renders of a MST for LC39A to provide a VIF, but have we seen a VIF render for VAFB? Or is it a case of F9H may fly from VAFB, but not any VIF requiring payloads?

I think we saw the render for 39A because there was a more imminent need for it to start construction if SpaceX won the NSSL competition.  Vandenberg payloads are a couple years farther off, and a lower volume of flights.  Maybe in a year or two we'll see a similar environmental assessment for their Vandy pad.

[danneely]

We've seen renders of a MST for LC39A to provide a VIF, but have we seen a VIF render for VAFB? Or is it a case of F9H may fly from VAFB, but not any VIF requiring payloads?

I think we saw the render for 39A because there was a more imminent need for it to start construction if SpaceX won the NSSL competition.  Vandenberg payloads are a couple years farther off, and a lower volume of flights.  Maybe in a year or two we'll see a similar environmental assessment for their Vandy pad.

SpaceX is probably also hoping it can get approval to launch Keyhole satellites via the Polar Corridor from Florida and not need to build the extra infrastructure at Vandenberg; or alternately let those launches end up in ULAs share of the program to the same effect.

[Zed_Noir]

<snip>
SpaceX is probably also hoping it can get approval to launch Keyhole satellites via the Polar Corridor from Florida and not need to build the extra infrastructure at Vandenberg; or alternately let those launches end up in ULAs share of the program to the same effect.

That brings up the question of how many launch slots can the LC-39A complex support? Since it is the only current crew Dragon launch pad, the only Falcon Heavy pad with future vertical payload integration and maybe the only Cargo Dragon 2 pad. Along with being been the Super Heavy with Starship launch pad.

The spooks will be more happy if they are not depending on just one Falcon Heavy launch site in a congested Eastern range.

edit: typo

[gongora]

Cargo Dragon may not be tied to LC-39A, and Dragon + FH flights are unlikely to reach 10 per year soon.  Flying Starship from the same pad adds congestion, and there are many more flights overall from Florida.  There will be enough traffic to support the Vandenberg pad in the future if SpaceX wants to fly more from the west coast.  They could fly Starlink missions from there, and twice-yearly SSO rideshares (the first of which is flying from Florida in December), the occasional NSSL mission, and occasional external customer missions.