Author Topic: SpaceX core and second stage spotting  (Read 369653 times)

Offline ChrisGebhardt

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #140 on: 03/21/2018 05:10 pm »
A core was spotted leaving Hawthorne last night. Would be great to know which core it is, as it would say a fair bit about 1046's status at McGregor if this core is the second Block 5 to be shipped. Thanks to Reddit /u/stcks for point this out, I've been too busy to trawl Instagram today ;D
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgfboKIB17H/

Must be 1047 heading for McGregor..

1046 is still on the TestStand as of yesterday, so seems they are either taking a small risk or they are pretty confident that all is well with 1046...

Edit: my prediction, if this is 1047, is that this one will return to West Coast after testing.... But everything but certain, to me the most logical given current manifest... :)

What makes you predict B1047 will go back West after acceptance testing at McGregor?

Offline IanThePineapple

Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #141 on: 03/21/2018 05:12 pm »
A core was spotted leaving Hawthorne last night. Would be great to know which core it is, as it would say a fair bit about 1046's status at McGregor if this core is the second Block 5 to be shipped. Thanks to Reddit /u/stcks for point this out, I've been too busy to trawl Instagram today ;D
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgfboKIB17H/

Must be 1047 heading for McGregor..

1046 is still on the TestStand as of yesterday, so seems they are either taking a small risk or they are pretty confident that all is well with 1046...

Edit: my prediction, if this is 1047, is that this one will return to West Coast after testing.... But everything but certain, to me the most logical given current manifest... :)

What makes you predict B1047 will go back West after acceptance testing at McGregor?

Perhaps for Iridium 6? I think I read somewhere the GRACE-FO owners would like a new core. That might be outdated though.

Offline Jakusb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #142 on: 03/21/2018 06:06 pm »
A core was spotted leaving Hawthorne last night. Would be great to know which core it is, as it would say a fair bit about 1046's status at McGregor if this core is the second Block 5 to be shipped. Thanks to Reddit /u/stcks for point this out, I've been too busy to trawl Instagram today ;D
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgfboKIB17H/

Must be 1047 heading for McGregor..

1046 is still on the TestStand as of yesterday, so seems they are either taking a small risk or they are pretty confident that all is well with 1046...

Edit: my prediction, if this is 1047, is that this one will return to West Coast after testing.... But everything but certain, to me the most logical given current manifest... :)

What makes you predict B1047 will go back West after acceptance testing at McGregor?

A number of things. L2 side I maintain an FPIP overlay with potential future core assignments. I have 1047 linked to IridiumNext-7.
I have 1043-2 linked to IridiumNext-6 (despite reports it is to fly on new core).
The first Block-5 to East coast, the second to West coast, seems also a nice balance.
Also after 1043-2, they are out of cores on West coast, so a new core will be rehired, unless a used core is transported again from East to West. I find this unlikely.
And I have all but 1042 already linked to a second mission each. All on East coast.

All and all to me 1047 for IridiumNext-7 feels most likely scenario for now.

Offline ChrisGebhardt

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #143 on: 03/21/2018 06:47 pm »
A core was spotted leaving Hawthorne last night. Would be great to know which core it is, as it would say a fair bit about 1046's status at McGregor if this core is the second Block 5 to be shipped. Thanks to Reddit /u/stcks for point this out, I've been too busy to trawl Instagram today ;D
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgfboKIB17H/

Must be 1047 heading for McGregor..

1046 is still on the TestStand as of yesterday, so seems they are either taking a small risk or they are pretty confident that all is well with 1046...

Edit: my prediction, if this is 1047, is that this one will return to West Coast after testing.... But everything but certain, to me the most logical given current manifest... :)

What makes you predict B1047 will go back West after acceptance testing at McGregor?

A number of things. L2 side I maintain an FPIP overlay with potential future core assignments. I have 1047 linked to IridiumNext-7.
I have 1043-2 linked to IridiumNext-6 (despite reports it is to fly on new core).
The first Block-5 to East coast, the second to West coast, seems also a nice balance.
Also after 1043-2, they are out of cores on West coast, so a new core will be rehired, unless a used core is transported again from East to West. I find this unlikely.
And I have all but 1042 already linked to a second mission each. All on East coast.

All and all to me 1047 for IridiumNext-7 feels most likely scenario for now.

Except Iridium has been quite vocal about their likeliness to use flight-proven cores for schedule assurance. ;)

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #144 on: 03/21/2018 07:32 pm »
Except Iridium has been quite vocal about their likeliness to use flight-proven cores for schedule assurance. ;)

Barring major issues discovered with 1046 and Block 5 in general (not ruling it out at this point), and assuming it was in fact 1047 that shipped out on Monday, schedule assurance should be no problem at all for Iridium-6 whether it uses a new or proven booster.

I think the final word at this point is still Desch's comment in mid-February that they were "considering [a flight-proven booster for Iridium-6], but its a ride share so a little more complicated and hasn't been totally finalized..."

Offline Jakusb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #145 on: 03/21/2018 08:16 pm »
Except Iridium has been quite vocal about their likeliness to use flight-proven cores for schedule assurance. ;)

Well, there is having refurbed stages at the ready and having used them all.
They already had to ship 1043 all the way across the US mainland.
Unless they do that again, which I doubt sincerely, a new core has to be used at some point.
1047 feels like the perfect candidate for future flight-proven core dedicated to West coast launches.
Maybe accompanied by another Block 5 to ensure timely readiness in the early days of this brand new and still unknown Block5 world of many re-use.
I expect that they have to properly prepare for the situation where a core is expended unplanned (rough see, landing issue).
In that case they might not have time enough to build another or allocate another in time ad hoc.

Offline cppetrie

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #146 on: 03/21/2018 09:01 pm »
There you have it.

Matt Desch is in discussions on this being Block 5, and if it is it will be a reflown Block 5


https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/976575188614762496

Offline envy887

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #147 on: 03/21/2018 11:57 pm »
There you have it.

Matt Desch is in discussions on this being Block 5, and if it is it will be a reflown Block 5


https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/976575188614762496

Matt Desch said that it would NOT be block 5.

He also said it would be flight-proven.

Offline cppetrie

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #148 on: 03/22/2018 12:27 am »
There you have it.

Matt Desch is in discussions on this being Block 5, and if it is it will be a reflown Block 5


https://twitter.com/IridiumBoss/status/976575188614762496

Matt Desch said that it would NOT be block 5.

He also said it would be flight-proven.
Of course it won’t. It can’t be a block 5 and be reused at the same time. The first B5 will have only flown a couple weeks earlier and from the wrong coast. I stated as much in my response in the Iridium 6 thread. The screen grab from Twitter in the original post didn’t get included in my quote but the full Twitter conversation makes that all pretty clear.

Edit: insert screen grab from original post
« Last Edit: 03/22/2018 02:35 am by cppetrie »

Offline Michael Baylor

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #149 on: 03/22/2018 10:47 pm »
Jakusb is going to be happy. This is for Iridium 6 btw.
« Last Edit: 03/22/2018 10:55 pm by Michael Baylor »

Offline wannamoonbase

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #150 on: 03/22/2018 11:46 pm »
Matt Deach is a riot.  I could buy stock just to support the jokes. 
Wildly optimistic prediction, Superheavy recovery on IFT-4 or IFT-5

Offline Lar

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #151 on: 03/23/2018 01:51 am »
Matt Desch is a riot.  I could buy stock just to support the jokes. 
he's my second favorite space CEO, that's for sure....
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Offline gongora

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #152 on: 03/26/2018 06:26 pm »
Not exactly a "spotting", but Commercial Crew update shows B1051 being used for DM-1 mission, tanks are in vertical integration stage (getting COPVs installed).

Offline JBF

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #153 on: 03/26/2018 06:54 pm »
Not exactly a "spotting", but Commercial Crew update shows B1051 being used for DM-1 mission, tanks are in vertical integration stage (getting COPVs installed).

That is an odd comment. As far as I was aware there is no vertical integration stage; everything is done horizontal.
« Last Edit: 03/26/2018 06:58 pm by JBF »
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Offline gongora

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #154 on: 03/26/2018 06:59 pm »
Not exactly a "spotting", but Commercial Crew update shows B1051 being used for DM-1 mission, tanks are in vertical integration stage (getting COPVs installed).

That is an odd comment. As far as I was aware there is no vertical integration stage; everything is done horizontal.

I don't know that much about the manufacturing process, but when we get views of the Falcon production line there are always tanks off to the side in a vertical orientation (before the RP-1 and LOX tanks are joined).

Offline JBF

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #155 on: 03/26/2018 07:27 pm »
Not exactly a "spotting", but Commercial Crew update shows B1051 being used for DM-1 mission, tanks are in vertical integration stage (getting COPVs installed).

That is an odd comment. As far as I was aware there is no vertical integration stage; everything is done horizontal.

I don't know that much about the manufacturing process, but when we get views of the Falcon production line there are always tanks off to the side in a vertical orientation (before the RP-1 and LOX tanks are joined).
And here is a picture.
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Offline RocketLover0119

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #156 on: 03/30/2018 12:38 pm »
https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/886otv/saw_this_used_stage_outside_lc39a_today/

Flown booster sitting outside of 39a as of yesterday, Not sure which one it may be, definitely a GTO core though....  (NOT MY POST)
« Last Edit: 03/30/2018 02:43 pm by RocketLover0119 »
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Offline KaiFarrimond

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #157 on: 03/31/2018 09:18 am »
https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceXLounge/comments/886otv/saw_this_used_stage_outside_lc39a_today/

Flown booster sitting outside of 39a as of yesterday, Not sure which one it may be, definitely a GTO core though....  (NOT MY POST)
From looking at the soot patterns, it looks like B1031.2 from SES-11/Echostar 105.
« Last Edit: 03/31/2018 09:20 am by KaiFarrimond »
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Offline Jakusb

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #158 on: 04/09/2018 07:50 am »
Keep an eye out for a core being transported to McGregor anytime now.
A core has been spotted outside factory at Hawthorne..

Offline Michael Baylor

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Re: SpaceX core and second stage spotting
« Reply #159 on: 04/10/2018 02:12 am »

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