Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 : Koreasat 5A : Oct. 30, 2017 : DISCUSSION THREAD  (Read 96789 times)

Online envy887

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They are still in port.
That's potentially sad news, splashing a new one, rather than a block 3...

If true though, while sad, it is the right thing to do for the customer

KoreaSat-5A is only 3500 kg, a Block 4 F9 can easily send that to supersync GTO with a barge landing. Why wouldn't they try to get it back?

Offline IanThePineapple

They are still in port.
That's potentially sad news, splashing a new one, rather than a block 3...

If true though, while sad, it is the right thing to do for the customer

They still have some time left AFAIK, might be rushing to finish up repairs

Offline king1999

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They are still in port.
That's potentially sad news, splashing a new one, rather than a block 3...

If true though, while sad, it is the right thing to do for the customer

They still have some time left AFAIK, might be rushing to finish up repairs

If they do a partial boost-back burn to return near the coast, the droneship won't take too much time to get positioned.
« Last Edit: 10/26/2017 08:52 pm by king1999 »

Online Lar

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If they do a partial boost-back burn to return near the coast, the droneship won't take too much time to get positioned.

Nod. I wonder how much time they need to reconfigure things or if they have already calculated 5 or 10 different parameter loads for different landing points or even expendable with different things tested or ?
"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

Offline deruch

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If they do a partial boost-back burn to return near the coast, the droneship won't take too much time to get positioned.

Nod. I wonder how much time they need to reconfigure things or if they have already calculated 5 or 10 different parameter loads for different landing points or even expendable with different things tested or ?

They've used a "contingency landing location" that repositioned the ASDS on at least 1 previous occasion, IIRC it was on one of the Iridium launches.  Which tells me that they likely have at least 2 or 3 targeted locations set up well before hand.
« Last Edit: 10/26/2017 09:17 pm by deruch »
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Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Taken by VIP-badged guests at KSC earlier today! No obvious TEL changes that I can see.

Looks like the wings at the top of the TEL have been removed.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline rockets4life97

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Looks like the wings at the top of the TEL have been removed.

I see them wrapped around the top of the rocket.

Offline Johnnyhinbos

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Looks like the wings at the top of the TEL have been removed.

I see them wrapped around the top of the rocket.
No - those are the stabilizer arms.

But I do think the wings are still there, just very hard to make out
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Offline cppetrie

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Looks like the wings at the top of the TEL have been removed.

I see them wrapped around the top of the rocket.
No - those are the stabilizer arms.

But I do think the wings are still there, just very hard to make out
Right here minus the yellow insert?

Offline vanoord

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They are still in port.

As far as it appears:

Hawk with OCISLY left Port Canaveral on Friday morning and was last noted far enough offshore to be pretty much confirmed as heading to the landing area.

Go Quest left port on Saturday.

Go Searcher is in Puerto Rico, but they only need one ship to back up OSCILY (per west coast practice).

Unless I’m mistaken, everything is in place for an ASDS recovery.
« Last Edit: 10/29/2017 04:50 pm by vanoord »

Offline Scylla

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Screenshot from video by AmericaSpace.com I posted on update thread.

Wings are still there.

I reject your reality and substitute my own--Doctor Who

Offline FutureMartian97

Does this Falcon 9 have titanium grid fins? If not, how many more flights until they have used up there supply of aluminium fins?

Offline ChrisGebhardt

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Does this Falcon 9 have titanium grid fins? If not, how many more flights until they have used up there supply of aluminium fins?

It does not.

Offline ZachS09

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When will they post the webcast?  The launch is supposed to be tomorrow.  They seem to be getting later and later on posting.

I'm guessing about 12 hours before launch is when SpaceX will post the webcast.

Technically, it's when they begin promoting the upcoming webcast.
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Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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When will they post the webcast?  The launch is supposed to be tomorrow.  They seem to be getting later and later on posting.

I'm guessing about 12 hours before launch is when SpaceX will post the webcast.

Technically, it's when they begin promoting the upcoming webcast.

Normally SpaceX don't update the webcast page on their website until after the vehicle is vertical on the pad, as they like use a photo showing the pad with the vehicle in launch position on their frontpage.

Offline Pete

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When will they post the webcast?  The launch is supposed to be tomorrow.  They seem to be getting later and later on posting.

I'm guessing about 12 hours before launch is when SpaceX will post the webcast.

Technically, it's when they begin promoting the upcoming webcast.

Normally SpaceX don't update the webcast page on their website until after the vehicle is vertical on the pad, as they like use a photo showing the pad with the vehicle in launch position on their frontpage.

Well, they have the webcast link up, and its showing "live at 3:34am gmt-7" (6 hours from now)
So I'm guessing someone needs to update his pc's clock, or remember what timezone he is in, as this does not agree with the previous Notams, etc, issued for this launch.

Offline Craftyatom

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I'm assuming that whoever posted it accidentally put "7:34 UTC" without specifying PM (since the listed time is 12 hours before the actual time), and that the actual launch time hasn't changed.

Edit: Changed from 10 to 7 UTC, my mistake - I myself have trouble with time zones sometimes.
« Last Edit: 10/30/2017 01:56 pm by Craftyatom »
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Offline vanoord

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I'm assuming that whoever posted it accidentally put "10:34 UTC" without specifying PM (since the listed time is 12 hours before the actual time), and that the actual launch time hasn't changed.

Per SpaceX's website:

Quote
The primary launch window opens on Monday, October 30 at 3:34 p.m. EDT, or 19:34 UTC and closes at 5:58 p.m. EDT, or 21:58 UTC.

A backup launch window opens on Tuesday, October 31 at 3:34 p.m. EDT, or 19:34 UTC and closes at 5:58 p.m. EDT, or 21:58 UTC

10:34 / 22:34 it certainly ain't!

Could be a typing error for 19:34 UCT substituting a 0 for the 9 (they are side-by-side on a laptop keyboards) ?
« Last Edit: 10/30/2017 08:42 am by vanoord »

Offline Bargemanos

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SpaceX photos

Wings and extra hold down clamps for FH?

Online Danny452

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In the SpaceX photos on the updates thread there is a band around the left landing leg but not around the right one.  Why the difference between legs?

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