Author Topic: SpaceX Falcon 9 : Iridium NEXT Flight 4 : December 22/23, 2017 : Discussion  (Read 151125 times)

Offline woods170

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There 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!
Well spotted.
I think it is a safe bet that SpaceX actually commissioned Oli to do those customer-relations models. There is simply too much stuff on those models to have been made without SpaceX input. Particularly the block 5 model given that the information about the black interstage and black landing legs for block 5 only became public information very recently.

Offline MATTBLAK

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I think SpaceX is really missing an opportunity for marketing - they should be selling spacecraft and rocket models that both kids and adult collectors (me) can get their teeth into. I'd love to see kids whooshing and flying around the house and their yards with Dragons, Falcons and BFRs, instead of X-Wings and TIE fighters all the time! ;)

They could also have launch pad and recovery barge models. There could be two price points: play toys for kids and higher fidelity models for people's display cabinets (such as mine):
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Offline cppetrie

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We’re off-topic but I second that. Partner with LEGO and Estes for a line of buildable block toys and a line of flyable model rockets. Perhaps even design the thing in such a fashion that the landing legs open upon decent and it has a decent chance of landing upright. Estes rockets are already reusable. Could be part of the fun seeing if it does land. Probably would prompt more launches and use more Estes motors. Win win win.

Offline cscott

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They've already made and sold two different versions of a flying estes-style model F9: one with dragon capsule on top, and one with fairing.  A number of us rocket modelers have used the F9 kits to bash together flying FH models.

Offline kdhilliard

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Do we know whether or not the same fairing concerns which have delayed Zuma also apply to this Iridium launch?

Edit: Apparently Matt Desch answered just this question yesterday, tweeting:
Quote
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 2017

Yes, Dec 22nd is still our date.
« Last Edit: 11/28/2017 12:13 am by kdhilliard »

Online mn

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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

Does this mean it was  never an issue? or that there was enough time to fix/replace and encapsulate and still meet the schedule?

It's not clear to me from the tweet that it was not an issue, he sort of sidestepped the question about the fairing, just confirmed the date.

Online gongora

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The Iridium Press Release:
Quote
Iridium Nears Launch Campaign Midway Point as All 10 Satellites Arrive at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Iridium-4 to create historic moment, making Iridium the first company to re-use the same rocket booster

MCLEAN, 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. 

Online zubenelgenubi

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Kevin Fetter posted about this FCC Public Notice, Report No. SAT-01286, on Seesat-l at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Dec-2017/0004.html .

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db1201/DOC-348023A1.pdf
Quote
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.

(I didn't find a thread discussing the final dispositions of the first generation Iridium satellites.  If there's a better thread to post this to, please make a suggestion.)
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Online zubenelgenubi

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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.
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Offline deruch

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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.

Why would processing be suspended?  The only government interaction for this part of the flow is safety and base security.  Those shouldn't be affected.  Iridium is doing the payload processing and SpaceX the F9 processing in SpaceX's facilities,  SpaceX already has a launch license for this mission, so no regulatory interactions yet.  The only thing I'm not sure about is static fire and launching, where SpaceX will need range support and interaction with other federal agencies.  But, as their involvement should all be classified as ensuring public safety, even if they are initially affected I imagine they'd get waivers pretty quick.
Shouldn't reality posts be in "Advanced concepts"?  --Nomadd

Online zubenelgenubi

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Static fire date/time?

(I assume it hasn't been announced yet, or it would already have been posted on NSF!)
« Last Edit: 12/12/2017 05:05 pm by zubenelgenubi »
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Offline whitelancer64

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.

When there's a government "shutdown" that doesn't mean all government-run things actually shut down... most of the government is still operating. Military operations (including launch sites) continue to function as though nothing happened. It's just the non-essential, highly-annoying-to-the-public things that get shut down, especially tourist attractions like memorials and national parks. During the 2013 shutdown, about 1/4 of federal employees were furloughed (but they were paid for that time off later). The IRS was particularly hurt by this, but most other agencies functioned fairly normally.
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Offline rockets4life97

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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.

Online Chris Bergin

Chris G is going there for NSF....but he's stuck in Atlanta Airport still as of last check.

We also have Philip, Jay and Helo who go to launches there, but today was a perfect mix of it being a Sunday and so many other things going on.

And after all, aren't we "hoping" the launch cadence will get to the point there will be Static Fires and launches every week, meaning the main focus will be on the launch? :)
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Offline Michael Baylor

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Part of the problem is that there just aren't that many sources. At the Cape, all the NASA employees are alerted about the static fire. A few of them will let Chris^2 know. Not as many sources at Vandenberg.
« Last Edit: 12/17/2017 11:06 pm by Michael Baylor »

Online Chris Bergin

Yeah, Vandy is tough. We have a few ins, but.....it's a Sunday. People tell us things. We never badger them into giving us info. The second this place becomes a chore for people who can help us....well I'm not going that mass media route. Keeping this place a no pressure cool site means more people end up helping, so that's the long game, but the best game.
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Offline Michael Baylor

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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
Correct

It is partially visible from far away on a mountain road, but the primary public viewing site is obstructed. Most people aren't going to  go out of their way and drive on some windy road just to get a partial view of the pad (although I totally would if I lived near there).

View of the pad:
« Last Edit: 12/17/2017 11:14 pm by Michael Baylor »

Online gongora

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Chris G is going there for NSF....but he's stuck in Atlanta Airport still as of last check.

What a mess that is.  Good luck Chris.  If you need extraction there are plenty of NSF'ers around the metro area, just shine the bat shuttle F9 signal  :)

Offline shuttlefan

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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.

When did the static fire ocurr?

Offline cppetrie

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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.

When did the static fire ocurr?
Earlier today apparently.

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