Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon Heavy : USSF-44 : KSC LC-39A: 1 Nov 2022 (13:41 UTC)  (Read 225651 times)

Offline Zed_Noir

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5490
  • Canada
  • Liked: 1809
  • Likes Given: 1302
For an expended center Falcon Heavy core. Can SpaceX stripped out the avionics and control units with command residing only in the upper stage like with legacy booster cores?
This seems the wrong way to go.

I worked in industrial equipment, not aerospace, but the non-recurring engineering costs were many orders of magnitude more than the unit cost (First working unit $100,000, each additional unit $10).  Unless they are hand building wire wrap boards, I can't imagine this does not apply.

Also, for something much smaller than a F9 I'd almost always run a couple of four wire CANbus between micro controllers than a discrete wiring harness as thick as your arm.  Heck we'd use a CANbus for three or four collocated devices at a distance of a meter.  Once you've got the processing to do the CANbus you've also got more processing power than the entire Apollo program essentially for free so there's nothing to strip out by moving software to a different box.
AIUI the Falcon 9 core have full autonomous flight controls for landing attempts. Most previous launchers have their control hardware in the upper stage.

So was asking is it worthwhile to remove the control hardware and associated support hardware from expended Falcon Heavy center cores to reduce mass and assembly costs. Consensus is that there are too few Falcon Heavy flights left to get the stripped Falcon Heavy center core certified to be worthwhile.

It would be different if SpaceX has the stripped down center core certified along with the recoverable center core from the beginning.

Offline Conexion Espacial

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2081
  • Liked: 3164
  • Likes Given: 2273

Cross-Post:
Side Booster B1064 was taken from Hangar X to Hangar LC-39A to be prepared for the launch of USSF-44.
I publish information in Spanish about space and rockets.
www.x.com/conexionspacial

Offline Conexion Espacial

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2081
  • Liked: 3164
  • Likes Given: 2273
NextSpaceFlight indicates that the launch is now scheduled for the last quarter of this year.
I publish information in Spanish about space and rockets.
www.x.com/conexionspacial

Offline zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11159
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7392
  • Likes Given: 72392
NextSpaceFlight indicates that the launch is now scheduled for the last quarter of this year. [May 13]
Now same states NET December 2022.

Payload or payloads delay?
« Last Edit: 05/14/2022 01:14 am by zubenelgenubi »
Support your local planetarium! (COVID-panic and forward: Now more than ever.) My current avatar is saying "i wants to go uppies!" Yes, there are God-given rights. Do you wish to gainsay the Declaration of Independence?

Offline scr00chy

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1186
  • Czechia
    • ElonX.net
  • Liked: 1685
  • Likes Given: 1595
NextSpaceFlight indicates that the launch is now scheduled for the last quarter of this year.
Now same states NET December 2022.

Payload or payloads delay?

Seems most likely. The rocket has been ready for months now.

Launch is delayed indefinitely, according to Alex.  Second USSF mission delayed indefinitely this year, the first one was USSF-12 that was supposed to launch on an Atlas V.

https://twitter.com/Alexphysics13/status/1525018984826945536

Offline Alexphysics

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1605
  • Spain
  • Liked: 5917
  • Likes Given: 945
The reason, obviously, is payload related and not rocket related. Booster B1064 moved to LC-39A to make way for other boosters at Hangar X, the place is packed with them.

Offline zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11159
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7392
  • Likes Given: 72392
Cross-Post:
Side Booster B1064 was taken from Hangar X to Hangar LC-39A to be prepared for the launch of USSF-44.
I assume that SpaceX will remove it from the LC-39A HIF (Horizontal Integration Facility) and return it to Hangar X?
« Last Edit: 05/14/2022 01:06 am by zubenelgenubi »
Support your local planetarium! (COVID-panic and forward: Now more than ever.) My current avatar is saying "i wants to go uppies!" Yes, there are God-given rights. Do you wish to gainsay the Declaration of Independence?

Offline Herb Schaltegger

Here's a dumb question that is becoming more relevant with each passing month: how long can Falcon Heavy's certifications for NatSec launches remain valid, given how long it is between actual demonstrated capability?

Sure the hardware exists, as does the software. But institutional knowledge fades into the past; people get promoted, change roles or leave completely, and rarely-used procedures and skills grow rusty.
Ad astra per aspirin ...

Offline Zed_Noir

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5490
  • Canada
  • Liked: 1809
  • Likes Given: 1302
Here's a dumb question that is becoming more relevant with each passing month: how long can Falcon Heavy's certifications for NatSec launches remain valid, given how long it is between actual demonstrated capability?

Sure the hardware exists, as does the software. But institutional knowledge fades into the past; people get promoted, change roles or leave completely, and rarely-used procedures and skills grow rusty.
The spooks really don't have an alternative option other than sign a waiver for the Falcon Heavy.

Fortunately commercial comsat operators and NASA have many up coming Falcon Heavy launches.

Offline abaddon

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3051
  • Liked: 3900
  • Likes Given: 5273
Delta IV Heavy barely ever launches and seems to be just fine, other than GSE issues.  And they don’t have any single stick launches anymore at all.  Can’t see a problem with Falcon Heavy.

Offline su27k

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6414
  • Liked: 9100
  • Likes Given: 885
Here's a dumb question that is becoming more relevant with each passing month: how long can Falcon Heavy's certifications for NatSec launches remain valid, given how long it is between actual demonstrated capability?

Sure the hardware exists, as does the software. But institutional knowledge fades into the past; people get promoted, change roles or leave completely, and rarely-used procedures and skills grow rusty.

Given Psyche and Viasat will launch before any NSS FH missions, seems to me the correct question is how long can Falcon Heavy's LSP certification remain valid.

Offline zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11159
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7392
  • Likes Given: 72392
Falcon Heavy first stage assignments:
Yeah it was previously planned for them to use the same side boosters on all [the upcoming USSF] missions but back then the order was 44, 52, and 67. Now it appears to be the opposite so [USSF-67] will likely fly those side boosters as new boosters and then proceed with 52 and 44 reusing them
Has the center core assignments changed for these missions?
Not aware of that, not sure they would care about changing those since they're all expendable anyways
Support your local planetarium! (COVID-panic and forward: Now more than ever.) My current avatar is saying "i wants to go uppies!" Yes, there are God-given rights. Do you wish to gainsay the Declaration of Independence?

Offline Nosu

  • Member
  • Posts: 30
  • Staff at The Space Devs
  • Toulouse, France, Europe
  • Liked: 85
  • Likes Given: 24
October 2022, per latest SFN launch schedule changes
Quote
Sept. 1: [...] Adding month for Falcon Heavy/USSF 44
Quote
October Falcon Heavy • USSF 44
https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
Aerospace & Mechanical Engineer – Staff at The Space Devs https://thespacedevs.com
~ Launch Library 2 & Spaceflight News APIs ~

Woah.  Pushing CRS-26 back to November now fits with giving lots of LC-39A schedule space after Crew 5.  This would make October super exciting!  Can I go so far as requesting back to back Falcon Heavy (return to flight) and Starship Superheavy (first full stack) launches!??  lol

There will be quite delays in other launches due to this launch as:-
1) pad 39a will be busy in conversion for launch , stacking and reconversion to normal.
2) after launch all east coast marine assets, that is, Bob/Doug/2 Tugs/ASOG/JRTI will be busy

2 solutions:-
1) can spacex has rtls launches from slc-40 at that time like transporters
2) can vsfb allow high use with all starlinks of group-4 moved to vsfb at that time

they need to think otherwise 60 launches unachieved

There will be quite delays in other launches due to this launch as:-
1) pad 39a will be busy in conversion for launch , stacking and reconversion to normal.
2) after launch all east coast marine assets, that is, Bob/Doug/2 Tugs/ASOG/JRTI will be busy

2 solutions:-
1) can spacex has rtls launches from slc-40 at that time like transporters
2) can vsfb allow high use with all starlinks of group-4 moved to vsfb at that time

they need to think otherwise 60 launches unachieved

and the Hotbird flight (NET Oct 17) that has been discussed as expendable

Offline wannamoonbase

  • Elite Veteran
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5412
  • Denver, CO
    • U.S. Metric Association
  • Liked: 3112
  • Likes Given: 3861
There will be quite delays in other launches due to this launch as:-
1) pad 39a will be busy in conversion for launch , stacking and reconversion to normal.
2) after launch all east coast marine assets, that is, Bob/Doug/2 Tugs/ASOG/JRTI will be busy

2 solutions:-
1) can spacex has rtls launches from slc-40 at that time like transporters
2) can vsfb allow high use with all starlinks of group-4 moved to vsfb at that time

they need to think otherwise 60 launches unachieved

3rd Solution, albeit harder, a third East Coast ASDS.
Wildly optimistic prediction, Superheavy recovery on IFT-4 or IFT-5

I'm guessing this is about this launch?

Quote
The first classified National Security Space Launch mission using a Falcon Heavy with refurbished boosters is scheduled for sometime from October to December, according to the Space Force. It’s a mission to launch a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, which develops and manages spy satellites, according to a previous Space Force statement.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-11/spacex-cleared-to-loft-us-spy-satellites-using-reusable-boosters

I would guess that the article might be referring to the future use of the side boosters used in this mission.

SpaceX has three FH launches scheduled for the USSF (USSF-44, USSF-52 and USSF-67). At the moment it appears that this mission will actually be the first one of those three to launch, so one or both of the others could be using flight proven boosters.

This article, posted under USSF-67, is referring to USSF-44 then?
« Last Edit: 09/02/2022 07:40 pm by realnouns »

Offline Alexphysics

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1605
  • Spain
  • Liked: 5917
  • Likes Given: 945
If USSF-44 does launch next month (which seems to be the case given some hints I've been given) then that mission they talk about is USSF-67 which is currently NET mid-December. Those same side boosters would then be used on USSF-52 next year

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
0