Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 : BulgariaSat-1 : June 23, 2017 : DISCUSSION  (Read 196531 times)

Online Galactic Penguin SST

DISCUSSION thread for BulgariaSat-1 mission.

NSF Threads for BulgariaSat-1 : Discussion / Updates / L2 Coverage May-June / ASDS / Party
NSF Articles for BulgariaSat-1 :
   Falcon 9 readies for Static Fire test ahead of Inmarsat 5 F4 mission
   Bulgariasat launch realigns; SpaceX secures X-37B launch contract
   SpaceX preparing to static fire next Falcon 9 – another flight proven booster
   SpaceX Falcon 9 ready for second flight with BulgariaSat-1 mission
   SpaceX returns two boosters, fires up a third for Static Fire test

Successful launch on June 23, 2017 at 3:10pm EDT (1910 UTC) on Falcon 9 (reused booster 1029.2) from LC-39A at Cape Canaveral.  Booster landed successfully on ASDS.

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



http://sslmda.com/html/pressreleases/pr20140908b.html
Quote
SSL SELECTED TO PROVIDE DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE TO BULGARIA SAT

PALO ALTO, Calif. – September 8, 2014 — Space Systems/Loral (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, today announced that it was selected to provide a communications satellite for Bulgaria Sat, an affiliate of Bulsatcom, which is a leading telecommunications company and the largest provider of pay-TV services in Bulgaria. The satellite, which will provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service in the Balkan region, will be Bulgaria Sat’s first dedicated satellite. 

“SSL has a long history of working with both large established satellite operators and newer ventures to provide highly reliable satellites for today’s advanced services,” said John Celli, president of SSL.  “It has been a pleasure to help Bulgaria Sat reach this milestone of ordering its first satellite, which will help expand connectivity in the region, bringing the latest in up-to-date information and entertainment.”

The satellite, BulgariaSat-1, will provide DTH services and fixed satellite services in the Balkans and other European regions to help meet the growing demand for telecommunications services. BulgariaSat-1 will be equipped with 2 Ku-band FSS transponders and 30 Ku-band BSS transponders for fixed satellite services and advanced television services such as high definition television.

“We selected SSL to manufacture our first satellite early on, based on its history of success and reliability,” said Maxim Zayakov, chief executive officer of Bulgaria Sat.  “SSL has been an excellent partner in helping us bring this project to fruition.”

SSL assisted Bulgaria Sat in obtaining all of the financing for the satellite, including export credit financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States.  BulgariaSat-1 will be delivered in-orbit, following its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2016.

BulgariaSat-1 is based on the space-proven SSL 1300 satellite platform that provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications and technology advances.  It is designed to deliver service for 15 years or more.

Not bad SpaceX - they have just landed another comsat launch contract! As its name suggests, this one is from Bulgaria and is built on Loral's LS-1300 bus - the same one used for the 2 satellites of AsiaSat.  8)

(to be fair SpaceX didn't grab it all - in fact Arianespace just announced not 1 but 4 launch contracts for 3 tonne class comsats!)
« Last Edit: 06/30/2017 02:02 am by gongora »
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Offline daveklingler

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http://sslmda.com/html/pressreleases/pr20140908b.html

Not bad SpaceX - they have just landed another comsat launch contract! As its name suggests, this one is from Bulgaria and is built on Loral's LS-1300 bus - the same one used for the 2 satellites of AsiaSat.  8)

(to be fair SpaceX didn't grab it all - in fact Arianespace just announced not 1 but 4 launch contracts for 3 tonne class comsats!)

I surmise that if ArianeSpace has reduced its prices enough to compete with SpaceX in the light satellite category, their profits must be very slim to nonexistent.  Either that or they're supplying some sort of deal sweetener, like low-interest financing.

Offline king1999

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http://sslmda.com/html/pressreleases/pr20140908b.html

Not bad SpaceX - they have just landed another comsat launch contract! As its name suggests, this one is from Bulgaria and is built on Loral's LS-1300 bus - the same one used for the 2 satellites of AsiaSat.  8)

(to be fair SpaceX didn't grab it all - in fact Arianespace just announced not 1 but 4 launch contracts for 3 tonne class comsats!)

I surmise that if ArianeSpace has reduced its prices enough to compete with SpaceX in the light satellite category, their profits must be very slim to nonexistent.  Either that or they're supplying some sort of deal sweetener, like low-interest financing.

They launch two at a time and probably charge more for the heavier one.

Offline guckyfan

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They launch two at a time and probably charge more for the heavier one.

If they do that it will come back to haunt them as soon as FH flies. But it seems they claim they have suddenly found means to launch cheaper.


Offline Earendil

Well, as a Bulgarian who has been following this forum for almost a year now, it is a suitable thread for a first on-topic post :) Congrats to Bulsatcom for thier first satelite.. and of course to SpaceX for grabbing this launch.

Just wait for F9's reusable first stage.. if we are looking at launches for 20-ish mil. usd, then I have no idea how ArianeSpace and similar will compete in  this class launches.

Do we know the value of the contracts for SpaceX's BulgariaSat and AS's new ones?

Offline MTom

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Well, as a Bulgarian who has been following this forum for almost a year now, it is a suitable thread for a first on-topic post :) Congrats to Bulsatcom for thier first satelite.. and of course to SpaceX for grabbing this launch.

Just wait for F9's reusable first stage.. if we are looking at launches for 20-ish mil. usd, then I have no idea how ArianeSpace and similar will compete in  this class launches.

Do we know the value of the contracts for SpaceX's BulgariaSat and AS's new ones?

Welcome to the forum!

Good to hear the Bulgarians will have an own satellite.
We in Hungary only have this - from our Technical University in Budapest, functioning very well: http://cubesat.bme.hu/en/
Maybe later...
« Last Edit: 09/09/2014 09:19 pm by MTom »

Offline deruch

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Do we know the value of the contracts for SpaceX's BulgariaSat and AS's new ones?

I would assume that the BulgariaSat contract was for SpaceX's publicized price 61.2M base + services. 
Shouldn't reality posts be in "Advanced concepts"?  --Nomadd

Online gongora

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Tweet from SSL on April 18
Quote
BulgariaSat-1 #satellite has begun thermal vacuum testing, which simulates the harsh conditions of #space.

Online gongora

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Sounds like this should still be ready for launch by the end of the year, will be interesting to see when it actually does launch.
(Yeah, the last sentence in the story is partially wrong, but the rest of it is probably useful.)

Google translation of a story found on a bunch of Bulgarian news sites, this was from http://www.economic.bg/bg/news/7/parviyat-balgarski-komunikatsionen-satelit-e-pred-izstrelvane.html:
Quote
Two years after Bulsatcom started production of the first Bulgarian geostationary communications satellite, the company has only one test away from full technological readiness of the facility for launch into space.

The manufacturer of satellites - the leading company in the sector - Space Systems / Loral (SSL) officially confirmed that BulgariaSat-1 is passed vibration tests...
The full technical readiness of the satellite for launch into space, there is only phase for testing antennas in a facility called Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR). Once finalized vibration test, BulgariaSat-1 has been fully tested to be sure that continued to function normally and its components remain completely unharmed.
...
Manufacture of satellites was awarded the leading company in this field - Space Systems / Loral (SSL), based in Silicon Valley in the US. BulgariaSat-1 is scheduled to be launched by the end of 2016 through the launch vehicle Falcon 9 company SpaceX.
« Last Edit: 02/12/2017 04:35 pm by gongora »

Offline jpo234

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The launch of the Bulgarian satellite will be carried out by NASA and will be broadcast live from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.

Huh? Has NASA anything to do with the launch? I thought the launch provider is SpaceX and the Range is Air Force.
Is this Bulgarian for "It's launched by Americans."?
« Last Edit: 08/18/2016 08:26 am by jpo234 »
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Offline Herb Schaltegger

As gongora said when he posted the excerpt: "Yes, the last sentence is partially wrong, but the rest of it is probably useful."
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Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Quote
Peter B. de Selding ‏@pbdes 1h1 hour ago

Bulgaria Sat CEO: We can handle a 6-month delay at SpaceX (was scheduled late 2016, now unknowable). Beyond 6 months, customers may leave.

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/775607406831296512

Offline Dao Angkan

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Bulsatcom’s BulgariaSat-1 satellite moves step closer to launch



Quote
SOFIA (Bulgaria), April 21 (SeeNews) - Bulgarian telecommunications company Bulsatcom said on Friday its geostationary communications satellite, BulgariaSat-1 - the country's first - has successfully completed all major assembly and test procedures at Space Systems/Loral (SSL) in Palo Alto, California.

“We are now proceeding to the satellite’s shipment to the launch base,” Maxim Zayakov, CEO of Bulsatcom and its affiliate Bulgaria Sat, said in a statement. “Currently, we are at the stage of planning of launch window.”

Before preparations for shipment began, SSL and Bulgaria Sat technicians performed several final checks on BulgariaSat-1, including a test designed to simulate the satellite’s solar array deployments in the zero-gravity environment of space, final integration and test of the satellite’s reflectors, and other important tests to ensure that the satellite will perform nominally during its design life, according to the statement.

At the launch base in Cape Canaveral, Florida the satellite will be integrated into a SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket which will take it into orbit. BulgariaSat-1 will be positioned into orbit at 36,000 km above the Earth, providing television and communication services covering the Balkans and other European regions. Within 30 days of the launch, the satellite will be operationally ready to broadcast a large number of high quality TV programmes to end-users.

Bulsatcom is a leading telecommunications company and the largest pay-TV services provider in Bulgaria.
« Last Edit: 04/21/2017 06:20 pm by Dao Angkan »

Offline Dao Angkan

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Any chance this launches mid-June? There seems to be an opportunity from LC39A between CRS-11 (May 31) and Intelsat 35e (late June), or would we already know about it?

« Last Edit: 05/02/2017 12:07 am by Dao Angkan »

Online ZachS09

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Any chance this launces mid-June? There seems to be an opportunity from LC39A between CRS-11 (May 31) and Intelsat 35e (late June), or would we already know about it?

According to http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html, Ben Cooper states that following SpaceX CRS-11, BulgariaSat 1 is the next to launch before Intelsat 35e.
« Last Edit: 05/02/2017 12:04 am by ZachS09 »
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Offline bjornl

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SpaceflightNow reporting that this will be a reused booster: https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/05/bulgarias-first-communications-satellite-to-ride-spacexs-second-reused-rocket/

Specifically, Iridium booster 1029 that flew from Vandenberg in January.
« Last Edit: 05/05/2017 07:46 am by bjornl »

Online ZachS09

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It's amazing that BulgariaSat was inspired by the success of SES-10 to reuse one of the Falcon 9 boosters.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline woods170

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It's amazing that BulgariaSat was inspired by the success of SES-10 to reuse one of the Falcon 9 boosters.
BulgariaSat was persuaded by SpaceX to use a reused booster even before SES-10 was launched.

Offline king1999

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It's amazing that BulgariaSat was inspired by the success of SES-10 to reuse one of the Falcon 9 boosters.
BulgariaSat was persuaded by SpaceX to use a reused booster even before SES-10 was launched.

By using a reused booster, they jump to the front of the launch queue! Reusability does indeed increase availability and provide much flexibility schedulewise, which is one of the benefits the Air Force looking at.
« Last Edit: 05/05/2017 01:14 pm by king1999 »

Online wannamoonbase

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How exciting to see another step to normalizing reuse.

It will be a record turnaround of about 5 months for the booster, a 50% reduction from the last reuse 😜

Wildly optimistic prediction, Superheavy recovery on IFT-4 or IFT-5

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