Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 - Iridium NEXT Flight 1 DISCUSSION (Jan. 14 2017)  (Read 441949 times)

Offline stcks

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Seems now that the 11th object is real - still getting TLEs today for all 11.
In SpaceTrack as objects A to K and object M (which I think is just a mistake, should be L). At some point they will identify them, and possibly before then they will fill in a radar cross section value of 'Large', 'Medium' or 'Small'.
If it's Large, then it's the second stage; if Small, then just a piece of debris. So stay tuned for a few more days

Looks like object M has been renamed to L already.

Offline Lars-J

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Now I am wondering about that fairing separation.  This still from the technical webcast shows only one fairing half.  A  bit later two halves are visible, but it isn't immediately clear to me right now that they separated simultaneously.

C'mon, this is getting ridiculous. You know about perspective, right? That the rocket isn't travelling straight away from the camera?

Draw an imaginary line between the 1st and 2nd stage in your second image, and voila... you'll see that the two fairing halves are pretty much down the middle of the direction of travel, equidistant from this line.

The fairing half's separated, even if you didn't see it.  ::)
« Last Edit: 01/16/2017 11:44 pm by Lars-J »

Offline HMXHMX

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So do I understand correctly that the 2nd Stage has re-entered but there are 11 objects in orbit?  If that is so, do we have insight as to what the 11th may be?

Online woods170

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So do I understand correctly that the 2nd Stage has re-entered but there are 11 objects in orbit?  If that is so, do we have insight as to what the 11th may be?
A wheel of cheese.






(Sorry, couldn't resist)

Offline docmordrid

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My first instinct would be a Microsat for CommX tests, but didn't they plan to launch them in pairs?
DM

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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My first instinct would be a Microsat for CommX tests, but didn't they plan to launch them in pairs?

I think it was pointed out earlier in this thread that this would need a licence (eg if SpaceX wanted to do some comms testing with it) and no such licence has been granted.

Offline guckyfan

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My first instinct would be a Microsat for CommX tests, but didn't they plan to launch them in pairs?

I think it was pointed out earlier in this thread that this would need a licence (eg if SpaceX wanted to do some comms testing with it) and no such licence has been granted.

I understand a license has been granted. But they have applied for another license for different test articles which are already quite near the final design.

Offline stcks

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So do I understand correctly that the 2nd Stage has re-entered but there are 11 objects in orbit?  If that is so, do we have insight as to what the 11th may be?

Do you have confirmation of the re-entry? Elon tweeted only that the stage "does" re-enter, not that it actually did. I'm not claiming that it didn't, only that the evidence says something else is up in orbit alongside the Iridium sats and the second stage is the most obvious candidate for that 11th object. Without confirmation we have to wait until the radar cross-sections for those objects are available.

Offline edkyle99

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So do I understand correctly that the 2nd Stage has re-entered but there are 11 objects in orbit?  If that is so, do we have insight as to what the 11th may be?
TBD
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35112.msg1631200#msg1631200

My guess is that the stage is still up there, in part because absolutely no one from SpaceX has said otherwise, but I'm not willing to wager on that assertion!

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 01/17/2017 01:40 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Could a large enough part of the satellite deployment structure have come loose during the rotation before the de-orbit burn and is now co-orbital with the INEXT vehicles?
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Offline gongora

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Does anyone have a valid reason to think that the two parts of the dispenser are not bolted together and the whole thing is not bolted to the second stage?  If not, could we stop talking about it?

Offline stcks

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Does anyone have a valid reason to think that the two parts of the dispenser are not bolted together and the whole thing is not bolted to the second stage?  If not, could we stop talking about it?

Of course they are bolted together, only one person suggested otherwise. Ben is asking whether something could have failed in the dispenser. You are the one who brought it back up, not him.

Offline Mader Levap

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...or simply deorbit burn was done and that stage will be up for days/weeks, not years...
Be successful.  Then tell the haters to (BLEEP) off. - deruch
...and if you have failure, tell it anyway.

Offline starhawk92

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Space Intel Report: SpaceX's return to flight removes Iridium's Sword of Damocles
Quote
...
Desch said the 10 satellites launched on Jan. 14 will be sent into Iridium’s plane 6. Eight will stay there; the two others will be drifted over to Plane 5.

That will fill the most glaring hole in Iridium’s coverage. “For our next launch, in April, we’ll launch into Plane 3 — that’s the other hole,” Desch said. “Every launch provides resilience and redundancy to the existing network.”
...
“The way I look at it, even if they only get 10 launches off I think I have a good shot at getting my five” because of the less-crowded manifest at Vandenberg, Desch said. “We have 20 or more satellites in the factory and ready — enough for two launches. We are really only gated now by the rockets.”
...

So it sounds like Iridium expects at least 5 launches this year, and any two flights (after the second one) could be as little as 45 days apart.

They already paid for the core floating into Long Beach . . . . that could reduce turnaround . . . ?

Offline stcks

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...or simply deorbit burn was done and that stage will be up for days/weeks, not years...

Except all 11 objects are still in the same orbit

Offline Stefan.Christoff.19

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What do you mean by that? Did they really sell the core to Iridium with rights to use it in subsequent launches? I haven't seen them consider doing this, but I don't get to read every thread. I thought they only sell the service and once completed the core is SX's to keep and do whatever.

Offline gongora

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What do you mean by that? Did they really sell the core to Iridium with rights to use it in subsequent launches? I haven't seen them consider doing this, but I don't get to read every thread. I thought they only sell the service and once completed the core is SX's to keep and do whatever.

The core belongs to SpaceX, and Iridium has said repeatedly that they are using new cores.

Offline Stefan.Christoff.19

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What do you mean by that? Did they really sell the core to Iridium with rights to use it in subsequent launches? I haven't seen them consider doing this, but I don't get to read every thread. I thought they only sell the service and once completed the core is SX's to keep and do whatever.

The core belongs to SpaceX, and Iridium has said repeatedly that they are using new cores.

Thank you for the clarification. I tried to reply to starhawk92, but didn't click on the correct option.
That was my understanding too, that they would be using new cores. The comment made me think that there's a more recent development.
Although the core looks to be in a decent shape from the pics in the other thread, so maybe they can rethink their position if the cores keep coming back like this.

Offline Danderman

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Satellite dispenser?

Why would that come off? Logical conclusion is the 11th object is the stage

Since the 2nd stage performed a circularization burn, and the 2nd stage is only good for one re-start, then the stage should still be in orbit. Perhaps there is a re-re-start capability that has not yet been demonstrated.

Offline old_sellsword

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and the 2nd stage is only good for one re-start,

That's a big assumption, and doesn't fit with what Gwynne said pre-launch (three S2 burns).

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