Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 - Iridium NEXT Flight 1 DISCUSSION (Jan. 14 2017)  (Read 442100 times)

Offline watermod

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If they are short a bit on lift for the full constellation - they might want to be an early adapter of a used first stage F9. 
 

Online catdlr

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LAUNCH ALERT
                 
                              Brian Webb
                    Ventura County, California
                  [email protected]
                        www.spacearchive.info
             
                                  2016 July 17 (Sunday) 18:18 PDT
----------------------------------------------------------------------

                  VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE

                    Launch
                  Time/Window
  Date              (PST/PDT)              Vehicle          Pad/Silo
--------        -----------------        -------------      --------

SEP 11          22:33                    Falcon 9            SLC-4E
Vehicle will launch 10 Iridium Next low-altitude commercial
communications satellites 

source: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39426.msg1560825#msg1560825
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Offline Space Junkie

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http://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-dragon-spacecraft-successfully-lands-first-stage/
Quote
The next two launches, of geostationary communications satellites, will return to the ship landings. Koenigsmann said the next land landing will likely be on the next CRS mission, later this year.

SpaceX CRS-10 doesn't launch until November. I wonder if Koenigsmann forgot about the Iridium launch, or if this means SpaceX doesn't think they will be allowed to RTLS for this one.

Offline rockets4life97

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http://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-dragon-spacecraft-successfully-lands-first-stage/
Quote
The next two launches, of geostationary communications satellites, will return to the ship landings. Koenigsmann said the next land landing will likely be on the next CRS mission, later this year.

SpaceX CRS-10 doesn't launch until November. I wonder if Koenigsmann forgot about the Iridium launch, or if this means SpaceX doesn't think they will be allowed to RTLS for this one.

Koenigsmann didn't seem prepared to answer schedule questions in too detailed a manner, so I would limit the speculation. As Koenigsmann has said in the past, he focuses on the next couple launches at a time.

Offline gongora

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New launch date for the first Iridium flight,

Tweet from Stephen Clark
Quote
Iridium says first 10 next-gen satellites begin shipping to VAFB next week. Falcon 9 launch Sept. 19 at 9:49pm PDT  http://investor.iridium.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=981626

Tweet from Peter B. de Selding
Quote
IRDM CEO: Slight SpaceX delay to mid-Sept is one-time issue, SpaceX says wont recur in Dec launch (need 3 mnths between 1st & 2d launches).

Tweet from Stephen Clark
Quote
Iridium’s Matt Desch: SpaceX has assured me they will have rockets available for our launches every 60 days next year.

Tweet from Peter B. de Selding
Quote
IRDM: We've got needed insurance for 1st 2 SpaceX flights. We'll self-insure 1 of 5 launches w/ spare sats + prepaid SpaceX relaunch option.

Offline Star One

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De-orbiting satelits for show.. There is actually a "fireworks" display planned for the Japanese Olympic games opening in 2020 that consists of de-orbiting a few hundred little particles of some mm in size.

http://global.star-ale.com/project/canvas

Unfortunately this is completely off topic and might be better discussed in a separate thread.

That proposal is utter gibberish that ignores all relevant facts about satellites.
This discussion seems to be trying to duplicate that.
Deorbiting the first generation Iridium constellation is a work task. They will do it in a manner that maximizes success, which is dumping each satellite in the South Pacific as far from people as they can get. It will be slow and controlled, not paced for show.

And it is off topic for the launch of Gen 2.

Back on topic, does anyone have an estimate for the mass of the dispenser?

Fair enough but perhaps that could  have been conveyed minus the attitude for the sake of civil discussion.
« Last Edit: 07/28/2016 03:09 pm by Star One »

Offline Wolfram66

this just in from SpaceNews.Com Peter B. de Selding @pbdes on Twitter

First SpaceX launch of Iridium Next slips to Sept. 19 -

See more at: http://spacenews.com/iridium-negotiates-payment-delays-with-lenders-contractor-to-mitigate-aireon-shortfall/#sthash.JiLBwZtq.dpuf

 :-X

Offline Robotbeat

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this just in from SpaceNews.Com Peter B. de Selding @pbdes on Twitter

First SpaceX launch of Iridium Next slips to Sept. 19 -

See more at: http://spacenews.com/iridium-negotiates-payment-delays-with-lenders-contractor-to-mitigate-aireon-shortfall/#sthash.JiLBwZtq.dpuf

 :-X
Already mentioned above.
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Offline mattstep

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New launch date for the first Iridium flight,

Tweet from Stephen Clark
Quote
Iridium says first 10 next-gen satellites begin shipping to VAFB next week. Falcon 9 launch Sept. 19 at 9:49pm PDT  http://investor.iridium.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=981626

Tweet from Peter B. de Selding
Quote
IRDM CEO: Slight SpaceX delay to mid-Sept is one-time issue, SpaceX says wont recur in Dec launch (need 3 mnths between 1st & 2d launches).

Tweet from Stephen Clark
Quote
Iridium’s Matt Desch: SpaceX has assured me they will have rockets available for our launches every 60 days next year.

Tweet from Peter B. de Selding
Quote
IRDM: We've got needed insurance for 1st 2 SpaceX flights. We'll self-insure 1 of 5 launches w/ spare sats + prepaid SpaceX relaunch option.

Any thoughts on what the one time delay is?  Sounds a bit like SpaceX doesn't have a rocket ready to go.

Offline rockets4life97

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Have we heard an update of when the range will be open at Vandenberg?  That might be the cause of this short delay.

Offline Star One

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Iridium negotiates payment delays with lenders, contractor to mitigate Aireon shortfall

Quote
Mobile satellite services provider Iridium Communications on July 28 said it had opened negotiations with its lenders and its satellite manufacturer to reduce or delay Iridium payments in the event Iridium’s Aireon air traffic surveillance affiliate cannot make its scheduled payment to Iridium.

The company said Aireon may have trouble paying Iridium $200 million in cash between 2016 and 2017, in part because some expected Aireon customers, including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), had not yet committed to the service.

In a conference call with investors, Iridium Chief Executive Matthew J. Desch said he saw no special issue with the FAA, which had already signaled its interest in the Aireon.

“It’s more a matter of when, not if,” Desch said of an FAA contract with Aireon. “It’s how much [airspace] they will survey, and when, and it’s looking more like a 2017 event rather than a 2016 event.”

Quote
The delay is the latest in a series attributed to the Iridium Next satellites and, more recently, to scheduled maintenance at the launch base and the site’s launch manifest.

A week’s slip in a launch is not normally an issue for a satellite fleet operator. But for Iridium, it means an automatic delay in the second SpaceX Iridium launch, which for insurance and debt-covenant reasons cannot occur until three months following the first launch. That means a second launch no earlier than late December.

After that, the five remaining SpaceX launches should occur at 60-day intervals, Desch said.

Desch said SpaceX had assured Iridium that the December launch would occur on schedule.

“It’s a little hard for me to be patient with these ongoing short delays, but we’re getting very close and I’m sure it will all be worth it with a successful launch under our belts,” Desch said.

http://spacenews.com/iridium-negotiates-payment-delays-with-lenders-contractor-to-mitigate-aireon-shortfall/
« Last Edit: 07/29/2016 05:06 pm by Star One »

Offline gongora

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Tweet from Iridium (found via retweet by Jeff Foust)
Quote
It’s a big day for Iridium as the first 2 Iridium NEXT satellites have successfully arrived at Vandenberg AFB!


Tweet from Matt Desch (Iridium)
Quote
Just informed we've passed an important regulatory milestone - approval for @IridiumNEXT. Thanks, @FCC! #Goodtogo!
« Last Edit: 08/02/2016 04:52 pm by jacqmans »

Offline watermod

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A friend who does interior communications consoles for high-end autos had the following question:
Quote
"I wonder what channel model they're using, and what modulation and coding ."

If anybody knows and can speak up... please do so.

He did say: "One good thing, it probably won't have a link budget determined by Tom H., and as such it'll have some chance at success."  I have to agree with him on that.

« Last Edit: 08/02/2016 06:39 pm by watermod »

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Orbital ATK update on shipping of first Iridium sats to VAFB:

Quote
First Iridium NEXT Satellites Shipped from Orbital ATK's Satellite Manufacturing Facility

http://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/Iridium_NEXT_shipped/default.aspx?prid=145

Offline gongora

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For the Iridium launch SpaceX submitted an FCC application for the landing that has both VAFB and Drone Ship transmitters, so they're covering their bases with the one submission.

Experimental first-stage recovery operation. Transmitting stations located on Port San Pedro, Vandenberg AFB and offshore.

City                              State           Latitude                   Longitude
Vandenberg AFB          California     North  34  37  58     West  120  36  55
                                                        North  28  8  52       West  73  49  48       BOAT, within 10 nautical miles
                                                        North  31  17  45     West  120  30  46     Autonomous Drone Ship, within 10 nautical miles
Vandenberg AFB          California     North  34  43  9       West  120  31  52
                                    California     North  33  43  17     West  118  16  29     Autonomous Drone Ship, port testing
                                                        North  28  8  52       West  73  49  48       BOAT, port testing


Offline ZachS09

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So this means that Iridium-NEXT F1 will not be doing a Vandenberg RTLS...

...and that the core will land on Just Read The Instructions?
Liftoff for St. Jude's! Go Dragon, Go Falcon, Godspeed Inspiration4!

Offline guckyfan

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So this means that Iridium-NEXT F1 will not be doing a Vandenberg RTLS...

...and that the core will land on Just Read The Instructions?

It says within 10 n miles. It either means no permission for land landing so they need JRTI out there or it has only functions for telemetry.

Offline Jim

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It says within 10 n miles. It either means no permission for land landing so they need JRTI out there or it has only functions for telemetry.

Telemetry is received by the support ships and not the barge.

Offline Kabloona

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So this means that Iridium-NEXT F1 will not be doing a Vandenberg RTLS...

...and that the core will land on Just Read The Instructions?

It says within 10 n miles. It either means no permission for land landing so they need JRTI out there or it has only functions for telemetry.

The "within 10 nmi" is standard boilerplate meaning the ships will be operating/transmitting within the general area of the coordinates listed.

Offline gongora

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Quote
Please explain in the area below why an STA is necessary:
This STA uses information from previous application 1121-EX-ST-2016. This STA covers the experimental first-stage recovery operation, following a Falcon 9 launch (F9-30) from Vandenberg AFB. This request is limited to the TC uplink, transmitting from an offshore boat/autonomous drone ship and/or onshore station at Vandenberg AFB. This includes pre-launch check-out operations at San Pedro Port and/or CCAFS as pre-coordinated with the launch Range. Launch vehicle flight communications for this mission are covered by a separate STA. The current launch planning date is NET 9/1/2016. The requested expiration date is 6 months following the grant date or upon completion of the experimental recovery operation, whichever occurs first.

It doesn't really say what their intentions are for the landing, they are registering transmitters for both landing options.  (The "CCAFS" is obviously a typo, a lot of this stuff just gets copied from one application to another).

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