Quote from: stcks on 11/21/2017 11:47 pmThere is something sneaky hidden behind the third one It appears to be a commercial crew block 5 Falcon 9. It has a Dragon 2 capsule and service module, a black interstage and landing legs, and titanium grid fins. Very nice!
There is something sneaky hidden behind the third one
Quote Uwe Häntsch @uwelinchen 1 Nov 25@IridiumBoss Good afternoon, Mr. Desch. Is the date on December 22nd for the next Iridium flight still up to date? SpaceX has problems with payload fairing. Thanks for the information.Matt Desch @IridiumBoss 8:11 AM - 26 Nov 2017Yes, Dec 22nd is still our date.
Uwe Häntsch @uwelinchen 1 Nov 25@IridiumBoss Good afternoon, Mr. Desch. Is the date on December 22nd for the next Iridium flight still up to date? SpaceX has problems with payload fairing. Thanks for the information.
Fairing not an issue for this flight...Iridium NEXT-4 on track for December launch from Vandenberg - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/11/iridium-next-4-december-launch-vandenberg/- By Chris Gebhardt
Iridium Nears Launch Campaign Midway Point as All 10 Satellites Arrive at Vandenberg Air Force BaseIridium-4 to create historic moment, making Iridium the first company to re-use the same rocket boosterMCLEAN, Va., Nov. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today that all 10 Iridium® NEXT satellites for its fourth launch are now in processing at SpaceX's west coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This launch will mark the midway point of Iridium's launch campaign with SpaceX, and is the first of two Iridium NEXT launches utilizing "flight-proven" SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. Iridium-4 is currently scheduled for December 22, 2017 at 5:32 pm PST, with a backup date of December 23rd.Noteworthy for the fourth launch, the same Falcon 9 rocket first stage that carried 10 Iridium NEXT satellites for the company's second launch in June of 2017, will also carry this payload of 10 satellites. This will make Iridium the first company in history to reuse the same rocket. Upon arrival at the launch site, each Iridium NEXT satellite began a number of pre-launch processing steps, including mating to the dispenser, fueling and encapsulation within the fairing. The satellites were shipped two at a time, in specially-designed motion and temperature-controlled containers designed to maintain optimal environmental conditions. "We're approaching our halfway point on this journey, and with each launch, we gain more momentum," said Iridium CEO Matt Desch. "This launch will bring us to 40 Iridium NEXT satellites in space, which is more than half the number required for a full Iridium NEXT operational constellation. It has been remarkable to witness the increased speed, capacity and throughput of our network as we continue to replace our original satellites with new Iridium NEXT satellites."The operational Iridium constellation is comprised of 66 satellites divided into six polar orbiting planes with 11 satellites in each plane. Destined for Iridium orbital plane two, nine of the 10 Iridium NEXT satellites deployed during this launch will immediately go into service following rigorous testing and validation. The remaining satellite will undertake a nearly year-long journey to orbital plane one, where it will serve as a spare satellite. To date, three Iridium NEXT launches carrying 10 satellites each have been completed. The fourth launch will bump the total number of new Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 40. Iridium has contracted with SpaceX to deliver 75 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, 66 operational and nine on-orbit spares, through a series of eight launches.Iridium NEXT is the company's $3 billion next-generation mobile, global satellite network scheduled for completion in 2018. Iridium NEXT will replace the Company's existing global constellation in one of the largest technology upgrades ever completed in space. It represents the evolution of critical communications infrastructure that governments and organizations worldwide rely upon to drive business, enable connectivity, empower disaster relief efforts and more. Iridium NEXT will enable and introduce new services like the Company's next-generation communications platform, Iridium CertusSM, and the AireonSM space-based ADS-B aircraft surveillance and flight tracking network.
Iridium Constellation LLC requests modification of its license for a non-geostationary, mobile-satellite service constellation. Iridium seeks an extension of the license term for its first-generation satellites until July 31, 2019, and authority to maintain up to 18 first-generation satellites as in-orbit spares during the transition to its second-generation satellite system.
Will launch processing be suspended if there is a government shutdown when the current funding legislation expires at 12 am December 9?Parallel questions have been asked on the CRS-13 discussion thread and the NROL-47 thread.
Also, SLC 40 at Cape Canaveral is visible from publicly accessible areas. SLC 4E at Vandenberg AFB is, as I understand it, essentially hidden from public view by topography. VAFB is much more militarily active than the Cape, and thus its goings-on are less discussed by locals. - Ed Kyle
Chris G is going there for NSF....but he's stuck in Atlanta Airport still as of last check.
We need some more space reporters out at Vandenberg. The successful static fire attempt wasn't even publicly posted as occurring. Very different than static fires occurring at the Cape.
Quote from: rockets4life97 on 12/17/2017 10:52 pmWe need some more space reporters out at Vandenberg. The successful static fire attempt wasn't even publicly posted as occurring. Very different than static fires occurring at the Cape. When did the static fire ocurr?