Author Topic: LIVE: Delta IV-M+(5,4) - WGS-8 - December 7, 2016 (23:53 UTC)  (Read 61613 times)

Offline zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11181
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7404
  • Likes Given: 72484
As of the successful launch of AFSPC-6/GSSAP 3 & 4 on August 19, this is the next Delta IV launch from Cape Canaveral's SLC-37B.

(The launch window is firmly in the October 20 p.m. hours for Eastern Daylight Time, but straddles "midnight" between October 20 and 21 in UTC.)

WGS-7, 8, 9, and 10 are the satellites in the WGS Block 2 follow-on contract.

From the Wideband Global SATCOM Backgrounder at:
http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/space/boeing_satellite_family/pdf/Bkgd_WGS.pdf
Quote
The Wideband Digital Channelizer upgrade, which was awarded in June 2012, will be included on WGS-8 and beyond and will provide a 90 percent improvement in satellite bandwidth.
(The Backgrounder publishing date is November 2015, after the WGS-7 launch.)

***
If any of you can answer this question: Are the Delta IV stages for this launch already at the Cape?

Edited for clarity 8/25/16

***
EDIT 2 on 8/29/16, including date change to subject

My next question is: when will the payload arrive at CCAFS?  We're within 2 months of the launch date.
The answer would appear to be: not yet!--because the launch date is now in November.
August 28 update from SFN launch schedule, already implemented here:

WGS-8 launch date changes to November 17 (November 18 UTC)

Satellite     CCAFS Arrival Date     Launch (UTC)
WGS-4      11/14/2011               1/20/2012
WGS-5      3/12/2013 "recently"  5/25/2013
WGS-6      5/17/2013 "recently"  8/8/2013
WGS-7      5/28/2015                 7/24/2015

Was there a delay in final preparations of the satellite, which has delayed the launch?

Or was the launch delayed, and therefore no pressing immediate need for satellite delivery?

***
EDIT 3 on 9/11/16
SFN Launch Schedule update of Sept. 5 notes that the launch of WGS-9 has also been delayed by a month, from Feb. 3 to March 2.

***
EDIT 4 on 10/4/16
September 22 update to NSF USA launch schedule thread notes that the launch has been further delayed, from November 18 to December 16 UTC (December 15 EST).

(The WGS-9 launch was delayed one day, to March 3, 2017.)

***
EDIT 5 on 10/15/16
Satellite     CCAFS Arrival Date                                          Projected Launch (UTC)
WGS-8      10/12/2016 (via Space Coast Regional Airport)   12/16/2016
« Last Edit: 12/07/2016 11:54 am by Galactic Penguin SST »
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 Targeteer

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6153
  • near hangar 18
  • Liked: 3364
  • Likes Given: 1138
https://www.facebook.com/45thSpaceWing/photos/pcb.10157395864845012/10157395864210012/?type=3&theater

Sharks

I say it all the time because it's true - we are the World's Premier Gateway to Space, and this week just proves it!

Our Airmen and our mission partners had a week for the ages as we moved fast to accept delivery and offload three major space vehicle hardware pieces just days after Hurricane Matthew forced us to lock our gates.

Wednesday proved to be an even busier day as a team of our Airmen and contracted partners coordinated the arrival of the Delta Mariner at the port on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The large cargo ship transported two ULA rocket stages and our team ensured 100 percent mission success as we progressed forward with our future launch schedule. The Delta IV booster arrived with minimal delay after the storm and is expected to launch an Air Force Wideband Global SATCOM satellite later this year.

Also late day Wednesday, an Air Force C-17 from Travis AFB delivered the WGS-8 satellite to TICO Airport and our combined team successfully offloaded and secured the satellite. All these major mission milestones were the result of a great team effort from across the wing and all our mission partners, including United Launch Alliance, NASA, TICO airport, Titusville PD, OSL and their PLSSS team, WGS Program Office and Aerospace. No one delivers like our team!

This week is a testament to your dedication, professionalism, resiliency and perseverance. No matter what Mother Nature may throw our way, we will find a way to get the mission accomplished safely and quickly, and maintain our status as the World's Premier Gateway to Space!

One Fight, One Team!

Shark 1

« Last Edit: 10/14/2016 11:51 pm by Targeteer »
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

Offline zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11181
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7404
  • Likes Given: 72484
Launch date moved up slightly...

Delta 4 rocket on the pad for military satellite launch in December
Quote
The Delta 4 rocket that will launch the U.S. military’s highest capacity communications satellite ever built was rolled to the pad this week.

The two-stage booster moved from the Horizontal Integration Facility to the Complex 37B pad and erected on the launch table to begin preparations for flight.

Liftoff is scheduled on or about Dec. 7 during a window of 6:53 to 7:42 p.m. EST (2353-0042 GMT), a duration of 49 minutes.
<snip>
The launcher will deliver the Wibdeband Global SATCOM satellite No. 8 into a supersynchronous transfer orbit for the U.S. Air Force.
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 zubenelgenubi

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11181
  • Arc to Arcturus, then Spike to Spica
  • Sometimes it feels like Trantor in the time of Hari Seldon
  • Liked: 7404
  • Likes Given: 72484
Delta 4 rocket undergoes launch day simulation for its next Air Force mission
Quote
Today’s [November 16] operation, an abbreviated version of a Wet Dress Rehearsal, saw the mobile service gantry retracted to its launch position and the loading of 170,000 gallons of supercold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first and second stages of the vehicle while working through portions of a real-life countdown.
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?

Online ZachS09

  • Space Savant
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8406
  • Roanoke, TX
  • Liked: 2344
  • Likes Given: 2060
Mission poster made by ULA.

Courtesy of Spaceflight Now.
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline jacqmans

  • Moderator
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 21709
  • Houten, The Netherlands
  • Liked: 8562
  • Likes Given: 320
Delta IV to Launch WGS-8


Delta IV WGS-8 Mission ArtworkRocket/Payload: A Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) configuration will launch the eighth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-8) mission for the U.S. Air Force.

Date/Site/Launch Time: Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Mission Description: WGS satellites are important elements of a high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capabilities to America's troops in the field for the next decade and beyond. WGS enables more robust and flexible execution of Command and Control, Communications Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), as well as battle management and combat support information functions. The WGS constellation augments the existing service available through the UHF Follow-on satellite by providing enhanced information broadcast capabilities.

Launch Notes: WGS-8 will mark ULA’s 70th national security launch since the company was founded in 2006. This is the sixth flight in the Medium+ (5,4) configuration; all launches in this configuration were WGS missions.

Launch Updates: To keep up to speed with updates to the launch countdown, dial the ULA launch hotline at 1-877-852-4321 or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/ulalaunch, twitter.com/ulalaunch and instagram.com/ulalaunch. Hashtags #WGS8 and #DeltaIV.

Go Delta IV! Go WGS-8!
Jacques :-)

Offline Newton_V

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 842
  • United States
  • Liked: 822
  • Likes Given: 129
I guess none of the artists have ever played pool...  :(
« Last Edit: 11/22/2016 06:21 pm by Newton_V »

Online Ronsmytheiii

  • Moderator
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 23394
  • Liked: 1879
  • Likes Given: 1023
Shot as of November 18th at the pad:

https://www.instagram.com/riversd74/

Offline russianhalo117

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8755
  • Liked: 4672
  • Likes Given: 768
Shot as of November 18th at the pad:

https://www.instagram.com/riversd74/
payload due to move to the pad in the next few days (statement is based on the DIV traditional pad flow timeline)

Offline ChrisGebhardt

  • Assistant Managing Editor
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7842
  • ad astra scientia
  • ~1 AU
  • Liked: 7877
  • Likes Given: 853
Shot as of November 18th at the pad:

https://www.instagram.com/riversd74/
payload due to move to the pad in the next few days (statement is based on the DIV traditional pad flow timeline)

It was already moved to the pad after Atlas V GOES-R launch - per photos of people stuck behind it on KSC/CCAFS roads.

Edit: Specifically, WGS-8 payload was moved to the pad on Sunday, 20 November.
« Last Edit: 11/22/2016 06:23 pm by ChrisGebhardt »

Offline Steven Pietrobon

  • Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 39215
  • Adelaide, Australia
    • Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive
  • Liked: 32735
  • Likes Given: 8178
I guess none of the artists have ever played pool...  :(

WGS-8 is the 8-ball in this case, but the artist forgot to put in the higher number balls!
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Newton_V

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 842
  • United States
  • Liked: 822
  • Likes Given: 129
I guess none of the artists have ever played pool...  :(

WGS-8 is the 8-ball in this case, but the artist forgot to put in the higher number balls!

No, 1, 4, and 7 shouldn't be stripes, only 9 thru 15.
« Last Edit: 11/23/2016 02:43 pm by Newton_V »

Offline Steven Pietrobon

  • Member
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 39215
  • Adelaide, Australia
    • Steven Pietrobon's Space Archive
  • Liked: 32735
  • Likes Given: 8178
No, 1, 4, and 7 shouldn't be stripes, only 9 thru 15.

The 8-ball is the wrong size as well! :-)
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline vapour_nudge

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 485
  • Australia
  • Liked: 266
  • Likes Given: 338
No, 1, 4, and 7 shouldn't be stripes, only 9 thru 15.

The 8-ball is the wrong size as well! :-)
We had a pool/billiard table for years and I'm sure the 3 was red. I think the 7 was burgundy? Not that it matters

Offline russianhalo117

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8755
  • Liked: 4672
  • Likes Given: 768
No, 1, 4, and 7 shouldn't be stripes, only 9 thru 15.

The 8-ball is the wrong size as well! :-)
We had a pool/billiard table for years and I'm sure the 3 was red. I think the 7 was burgundy? Not that it matters
Its called the game of confusion and employs reverse psychological imagery to attempt to brainwash the commoners.

Online FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48176
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81676
  • Likes Given: 36941
Launch forecast is 80% GO for Wed, 60% GO if 48 hr delay.
« Last Edit: 12/05/2016 01:52 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Online ZachS09

  • Space Savant
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8406
  • Roanoke, TX
  • Liked: 2344
  • Likes Given: 2060
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Online ZachS09

  • Space Savant
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8406
  • Roanoke, TX
  • Liked: 2344
  • Likes Given: 2060
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline Targeteer

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6153
  • near hangar 18
  • Liked: 3364
  • Likes Given: 1138
http://www.losangeles.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1020211/air-force-ready-to-launch-wgs-8-satellite#.WEW0Yl3dEoE.facebook

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The U.S. Air Force and its mission partners are scheduled to launch the eighth Boeing-built Wideband Global SATCOM satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. Liftoff is scheduled for Dec. 7 from Space Launch Complex 37B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch window opens at 6:53 p.m. EST and will remain open for 42 minutes.

“This launch will significantly enhance the WGS constellation, providing vital wideband communications anytime, anywhere to U.S. warfighters and our international partners through broadcast, multicast, and point to point connections.” Said Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, Space and Missile Systems Center commander and Air Force program executive officer for Space. “WGS-8 maintains the core capability to support X and Ka-band communications simultaneously, while also increasing communication capacity.”

With a new state-of-the-art digital channelizer, WGS-8 will increase communication capacity by approximately 45 percent more than previous WGS satellites. The WGS constellation is the nation’s highest-capacity military communication system, providing a quantum leap in communication capability for the U.S. military and allied forces. This vital asset continually collects and routes real-time data through all X-band and Ka-band terminal types in support of a wide variety of missions, from search and rescue efforts to military operations.

“The demand for ever-increasing reliable and secure satellite communications has been at the forefront of the WGS mission,” said Greaves. “WGS provides communication connectivity across all mission areas, including air, land, and naval warfare.”

Operated by U.S. Air Force’s 3rd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, the WGS constellation delivers reliable and secure communications services worldwide 24-hours a day, seven days a week as a vital military asset to the US and allied forces.
The Air Force is committed to providing capabilities to ensure combatant commanders receive the tools they need to effectively communicate and coordinate strategic and tactical operations against any adversary.

Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the U.S. Air Force's center for acquiring and developing military space systems. Its portfolio includes GPS, military satellite communications, defense meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control networks, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

Online FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48176
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81676
  • Likes Given: 36941
Quote
James Dean ‏@flatoday_jdean 4h4 hours ago

Delta IV/WGS-8 weather forecast remains 80% "go" for 6:53pm Wed. launch from Cape Canaveral. 24-hr delay forecast has dropped to 40% "go."
https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean/status/806151192132931589

There's an issue with the 45th Weather Squadron's website so can't currently download the updated forecast.


Quote
ULA ‏@ulalaunch 1h1 hour ago

The ULA Launch Readiness Review is complete! #DeltaIV #WGS8 is set to launch TOMORROW (Dec 7). Will you be watching? http://bit.ly/div_wgs8
https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/806186129322115073

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
1