Is it possible (completely hypothetically) that SX is taking the extra time to get one of the OrbComm engines ready to be reflown on the SES-9 core?
Is it possible (completely hypothetically) that SX is taking the extra time to get one of the OrbComm engines ready to be reflown on the SES-9 core? I.e after the static fire at SLC-40 they removed one of the fully functioning engines and shipped it back to McGregor for a full set of qualification tests. To then get it back to the cape for integration with the awaiting SES-9 stage.This would add weeks onto the launch schedule but the chance to reuse one of the engine would be a major step towards reusability of the entire stage. Plus SX could pretty much guarantee a success having the ability to test the engine fully at McGregor.But as I said, purely hypothetical.
i was wondering if maybe some of the data from last launch's second stage mimiced some things from the second stage failure that they thought they had fixed.
If I remember right there was an announcement during the last webcast (Jason) that there would be "no more inside views of the Falcon 9 in the webcasts" from then on
Edit: add pdf on SES-9 & 10
Quote from: dorkmo on 02/01/2016 08:48 pmi was wondering if maybe some of the data from last launch's second stage mimicked some things from the second stage failure that they thought they had fixed.That's a good conjecture IMO. They probably instrumented/telemetered the heck out of the new S2, to verify the strut fix, gather data on other potential CRS-7 failure modes that they may have suspected but couldn't completely rule out, and monitor the effects of the S2 redesign. With all that telemetry there's a good chance they saw something they didn't like.
i was wondering if maybe some of the data from last launch's second stage mimicked some things from the second stage failure that they thought they had fixed.
That's a good conjecture IMO. They probably instrumented/telemetered the heck out of the new S2, to verify the strut fix, gather data on other potential CRS-7 failure modes that they may have suspected but couldn't completely rule out, and monitor the effects of the S2 redesign. With all that telemetry there's a good chance they saw something they didn't like.
**** speculations ****Supercooled kerosene will solidify much faster than regular kerosene - maybe the issue is with max time that second stage can handle? It would not be an issue with Orbcomm as tests were performed imidiately after releasing sateliites, but may be a major issue when flying to GTO with long coast phase.
Propellant densification is only used on the first stage.
The kerosene can be permitted to warm up with no real issue
Quote from: mheney on 02/02/2016 04:45 pmThe kerosene can be permitted to warm up with no real issueSo you need kerosene heater - does second stage have something like that?
Any possibility that mission delay is related because landing leg didn't "click" on last landing, so SX is making some changes?
<snip>edit: We were all urged NOT to speculate. We will learn the reason for the delay when we are told, or we won't learn at all. Can we all just "hold our horses"?