Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : Oct. 7/8, 2018 : Vandenberg - DISCUSSION  (Read 85158 times)

Online gongora

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DISCUSSION thread for SAOCOM 1A

NSF Threads for SAOCOM 1A : Discussion / Updates / Party
NSF Articles for SAOCOM 1A :

Successful launch October 7, 2018 at 19:21 PDT (02:21 on the 8th UTC) on Falcon 9 from Vandenberg.  Booster is 1048.2, previously used for Iridium NEXT flight 7.  Orbit is 620-km circular SSO.  Payload is approximately 3000kg.  Successful RTLS landing at LZ-4.

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




[SpaceX] SPACEX SIGNS ARGENTINA'S SPACE AGENCY FOR TWO FALCON 9 LAUNCHES
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Pair of SAOCOM Earth Observation Satellites to Launch between 2012 & 2013

Hawthorne, California – April 16, 2009 – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has signed an agreement with CONAE, Argentina's National Commission on Space Activity, for two launches aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 medium-to-heavy lift vehicle. The flights will send the SAOCOM 1A and 1B Earth observation satellites into sun-synchronous orbits, where they will provide imagery for natural resources monitoring, as well as emergency and disaster management.

The identical SAOCOM satellites each carry an L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument. Among other civil applications, the main purpose of the constellation is the measurement of the soil moisture over the Pampa Húmeda in Argentina. The two SAOCOM satellites will join four X-band SAR COSMO-SkyMed satellites from the Italian Space Agency (ASI), creating the Italian-Argentine System of Satellites for Emergency Management (SIASGE) constellation. The first three of the ASI satellites were launched in 2007 and 2008 with the fourth expected to fly in 2010.

“SpaceX is excited to be CONAE's launch service provider for the SAOCOM 1A and 1B missions,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “The Falcon 9 launch vehicle has been designed to the highest level of reliability and performance; we look forward to helping ensure the success of the SAOCOM satellites.”

The inaugural flight of Falcon 9 is scheduled for this year, with the first Dragon spacecraft scheduled to fly on a subsequent launch, both from SpaceX's launch facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

About CONAE

CONAE (Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, or in English, National Space Activities Commission) is Argentina's civilian agency in charge of national space activities. They have launched three satellites to date, and have numerous joint space efforts with Argentine industry and academia, as well as governmental space agencies around the world, including NASA, CSA, AEB/INPE (Brazil), ASI, CNES, ESA and agencies of several other nations.

[INVAP Jan. 02, 2018] The integration of the satellite SAOCOM 1A was completed
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Professionals of the National Commission of Space Activities (CONAE), the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), and the companies VENG, INVAP and CEATSA / ARSAT finalized in Bariloche the electrical verifications and mechanical integration of SAOCOM 1A, the new Argentine observation satellite developed by CONAE together with national organizations and companies.

The "body" of the satellite (the service platform) and the "eyes" with which the Earth will observe (the radar antenna) are communicated, with all interfaces correctly connected, in good condition and secure.

Once the electrical integration was completed and after verifying the communication of the platform with each of the seven panels of the radar antenna, the mechanical integration of the SAOCOM 1A was completed. This week the first test of the deployment of the SAR antenna continues, starting the final testing stage of the satellite.

SAOCOM 1A on Gunter's Space Page
« Last Edit: 10/08/2018 02:39 am by gongora »

Offline Lar

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : August 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #1 on: 01/19/2018 12:36 am »
2009? I expect they will be happy to get these off their manifest, as I expect they didn't get current rates for the launches...
"I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact." -Elon Musk
"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : August 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #2 on: 04/09/2018 01:57 pm »
http://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/diarios/2018/04/02/economia1/ECON-01.html
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La estación de Tolhuin cumplirá “un rol clave” en el monitoreo del próximo satélite nacional que será puesto en órbita en septiembre, el Saocom -Satélite Argentino de Observación Con Microondas

Now September.  I wouldn't be surprised if this slips a little more, the SpaceX schedule at Vandenberg in the second half of the year will be interesting.

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #3 on: 04/18/2018 05:41 pm »
This actually applies to SAOCOM-1B, but I haven't made a thread for that yet.

This document says on page 3 that the proposed SAOCOM-CS companion satellite has been cancelled.

Offline DaveJes1979

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #4 on: 06/04/2018 05:55 pm »
Shaping up to be the first Vandenberg RTLS!  Will have to plan on taking a day or 2 off this September.

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #5 on: 06/04/2018 06:57 pm »
Shaping up to be the first Vandenberg RTLS!

Is it?  I really don't have a clue what order these flights from Vandenberg are going to happen.  Iridium 8 is NET August, SSO-A is around October, I wouldn't be surprised if this or RCM or SARah 1 ends up after those in Nov/Dec.

Offline DaveJes1979

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #6 on: 06/04/2018 07:35 pm »
I'm just going off the chart in the Manifest Updates thread.  It says NET September, so I assume that date is at least still on the table.  And I'm assuming Iridium 8 will be autonomous ship landing, just like Iridium 7.

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #7 on: 06/04/2018 08:32 pm »
I wouldn't go making travel plans for any SpaceX Vandenberg flights very far ahead of time, that part of the manifest is very uncertain.  It's very unclear what order those flights are going to happen.

Offline Michael Baylor

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #8 on: 06/05/2018 12:00 am »
Shaping up to be the first Vandenberg RTLS!

Is it?  I really don't have a clue what order these flights from Vandenberg are going to happen.  Iridium 8 is NET August, SSO-A is around October, I wouldn't be surprised if this or RCM or SARah 1 ends up after those in Nov/Dec.
Iridium-8 won't be launching until September. Most likely, the second half of September. This launch can safely be assumed NET October.
« Last Edit: 06/05/2018 12:00 am by Michael Baylor »

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : Q4? 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #9 on: 06/17/2018 06:25 pm »
SAOCOM 1A shipment to Vandenberg at end of July?  The SpaceX Vandenberg manifest has me very confused right now.
« Last Edit: 06/17/2018 07:00 pm by gongora »

Offline Bean Kenobi

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : Q4? 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #10 on: 06/17/2018 06:50 pm »
I think this manifest is about the aircraft flight that will bring the satellite to VAFB, not the SpaceX launch itself.

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : Q4? 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #11 on: 06/17/2018 07:02 pm »
I think this manifest is about the aircraft flight that will bring the satellite to VAFB, not the SpaceX launch itself.

Yes, I guess I shouldn't have just said "flight"  :)  I was trying to look at when the Telesat birds were shipping to their launch site and ran across the CONAE shipment too.

Offline vaporcobra

Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : Q4? 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #12 on: 06/17/2018 07:39 pm »
SAOCOM 1A shipment to Vandenberg at end of July?  The SpaceX Vandenberg manifest has me very confused right now.

Same. Given the gap between Iridium-7 and -8, I suppose it wouldn't be impossible to squeeze SAOCOM 1A between them, say late August, early September. Everything is dependent on core availability at this point.

Offline UKobserver

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SAOCOM 1A shipment to Vandenberg at end of July?  The SpaceX Vandenberg manifest has me very confused right now.

Same. Given the gap between Iridium-7 and -8, I suppose it wouldn't be impossible to squeeze SAOCOM 1A between them, say late August, early September. Everything is dependent on core availability at this point.

Would that actually be possible though? Pad turnaround time at Vandenberg seems like it has also really been holding SpaceX back over the last 18 months. There have been no short intervals between flights from that pad, and it's not been for lack of payloads to fly from it; they have been queued up and waiting. SpaceX seem to try to be equally fair to all customers, therefore I can only assume that they would have launched from Vandenberg at shorter intervals if they were capable of it, which implies that they are not. Once B5s are being regularly flown and refurbished, and at increasingly shorter intervals, I would suggest that pad turnaround at VAFB becomes their biggest limiting factor on cadence until they max out on 2nd stage and fairing production capabilities.

Offline russianhalo117

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SAOCOM 1A shipment to Vandenberg at end of July?  The SpaceX Vandenberg manifest has me very confused right now.

Same. Given the gap between Iridium-7 and -8, I suppose it wouldn't be impossible to squeeze SAOCOM 1A between them, say late August, early September. Everything is dependent on core availability at this point.

Would that actually be possible though? Pad turnaround time at Vandenberg seems like it has also really been holding SpaceX back over the last 18 months. There have been no short intervals between flights from that pad, and it's not been for lack of payloads to fly from it; they have been queued up and waiting. SpaceX seem to try to be equally fair to all customers, therefore I can only assume that they would have launched from Vandenberg at shorter intervals if they were capable of it, which implies that they are not. Once B5s are being regularly flown and refurbished, and at increasingly shorter intervals, I would suggest that pad turnaround at VAFB becomes their biggest limiting factor on cadence until they max out on 2nd stage and fairing production capabilities.
Needs a new/modified reaction frame, launch mount, and TEL to support a faster launch rate at VAFB. It is in a hybrid state between the v1.1 and v1.2 designs.

Offline vaporcobra

SAOCOM 1A shipment to Vandenberg at end of July?  The SpaceX Vandenberg manifest has me very confused right now.

Same. Given the gap between Iridium-7 and -8, I suppose it wouldn't be impossible to squeeze SAOCOM 1A between them, say late August, early September. Everything is dependent on core availability at this point.

Would that actually be possible though? Pad turnaround time at Vandenberg seems like it has also really been holding SpaceX back over the last 18 months. There have been no short intervals between flights from that pad, and it's not been for lack of payloads to fly from it; they have been queued up and waiting. SpaceX seem to try to be equally fair to all customers, therefore I can only assume that they would have launched from Vandenberg at shorter intervals if they were capable of it, which implies that they are not. Once B5s are being regularly flown and refurbished, and at increasingly shorter intervals, I would suggest that pad turnaround at VAFB becomes their biggest limiting factor on cadence until they max out on 2nd stage and fairing production capabilities.
Needs a new/modified reaction frame, launch mount, and TEL to support a faster launch rate at VAFB. It is in a hybrid state between the v1.1 and v1.2 designs.

I agree, but IMO that would be to get below an already demonstrated cadence capability of about one month. In fact, I believe SpaceX/Musk/Shotwell have said in the past that one month was roughly the limit for SLC-4E without significant upgrades like those you described.

Regardless, made a little visualization of SLC-4E's cadence since beginning regular missions (Iridium-2). 36 days between Iridium-4 and PAZ is the current record. I should also correct the chart, the numbers above each bar are the days from that launch til the next launch (so Iridium-6 is the number of days between launch and Iridium-7).
« Last Edit: 06/18/2018 09:34 pm by vaporcobra »

Online gongora

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There have been no short intervals between flights from that pad, and it's not been for lack of payloads to fly from it; they have been queued up and waiting. SpaceX seem to try to be equally fair to all customers, therefore I can only assume that they would have launched from Vandenberg at shorter intervals if they were capable of it, which implies that they are not.

I don't think this is true.  I don't think SpaceX has ever reached a point yet where they had excess launch vehicle capacity.  Until they reach that point they can't just launch whatever payload is ready, and there is really no de-coupling between East and West Coast manifests.  It's also not clear that many West Coast payloads are waiting for launch right now.  Aside from maybe Formosat 5 have any West Coast payloads really waited any longer than the East Coast payloads?  The only two West Coast payloads that might be almost ready now are SAOCOM 1A and the next Iridium flight.

Offline DaveJes1979

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It is a 4 hour drive to Vandenberg for me, but if this is indeed RTLS, as seems to be, I will carve out a few days.

Just need to narrow down the date range now.

Online gongora

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #18 on: 07/25/2018 04:02 am »
Tweet from CONAE:
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SAOCOM 1A PREPARING TO TRAVEL. The observation satellite of CONAE entered the container for the last verification test in @ invapargentina / CEATSA before its transfer to the USA. for the launch campaign. In a few weeks, SAOCOM 1A will look at us from space!

(found via retweet by Stephen Clark)

Online Alexphysics

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Re: SpaceX Falcon 9 : SAOCOM 1A : September 2018 : Vandenberg
« Reply #19 on: 07/27/2018 11:51 am »
I was about to post yesterday that one of the engineers of the satellite team told me after Iridium 7 that all was on track for September 5th but an engineer from the SAOCOM propulsion team has said on reddit today that this mission is now end of september  :(

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it appears it has been delayed to the end of september

« Last Edit: 07/27/2018 01:41 pm by Alexphysics »

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