Just hopped onto this thread, why wasn't FORMOSAT/SHERPA launched in early Summer 2016 like planned, and why does it keep getting delayed? Will it launch anytime soon?
Quote from: IanThePineapple on 02/06/2017 10:30 pmJust hopped onto this thread, why wasn't FORMOSAT/SHERPA launched in early Summer 2016 like planned, and why does it keep getting delayed? Will it launch anytime soon?The range at Vandy was down for a long time last year. Affected all launch operators.http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/881089/western-range-set-to-resume-normal-operations
Quote from: jjyach on 02/06/2017 11:32 pmQuote from: IanThePineapple on 02/06/2017 10:30 pmJust hopped onto this thread, why wasn't FORMOSAT/SHERPA launched in early Summer 2016 like planned, and why does it keep getting delayed? Will it launch anytime soon?The range at Vandy was down for a long time last year. Affected all launch operators.http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/881089/western-range-set-to-resume-normal-operationsPretty disingenuous response. There's no evidence the closure had anything to do with this. The range closure was well known - to all operators - long before I posted here. https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=21984.msg1498856#msg1498856https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=21984.msg1532181#msg1532181I don't recall that a clear reason was ever given for the slip. Spacecraft, vehicle, and pad (not range) readiness are probably all valid candidates.
I have the worst question ever. Does anyone on base really call it Vandy? I'm not asking if "outsiders" call it that.
Quote from: mme on 02/07/2017 04:02 amI have the worst question ever. Does anyone on base really call it Vandy? I'm not asking if "outsiders" call it that.AirForce folks filming Delta launches referred to it as Vandy as early as 1983.
Quote from: woods170 on 02/07/2017 06:13 amQuote from: mme on 02/07/2017 04:02 amI have the worst question ever. Does anyone on base really call it Vandy? I'm not asking if "outsiders" call it that.AirForce folks filming Delta launches referred to it as Vandy as early as 1983.Thanks, that was what I was looking for.
Quote from: mme on 02/07/2017 06:52 amQuote from: woods170 on 02/07/2017 06:13 amQuote from: mme on 02/07/2017 04:02 amI have the worst question ever. Does anyone on base really call it Vandy? I'm not asking if "outsiders" call it that.AirForce folks filming Delta launches referred to it as Vandy as early as 1983.Thanks, that was what I was looking for.It isn't widespread, it is used by few insiders. And outsiders don't use it.
Originally payload availability and FCC licensing, then the range closure, then FCC licensing, and now probably launch vehicle availability.p.s. The "red tape" mentioned above was not SpaceX specific, and not long term. It actually wasn't red tape at all, but had to do with the western range setup.
Quote from: gongora on 02/07/2017 03:54 amOriginally payload availability and FCC licensing, then the range closure, then FCC licensing, and now probably launch vehicle availability.p.s. The "red tape" mentioned above was not SpaceX specific, and not long term. It actually wasn't red tape at all, but had to do with the western range setup.The end of your first paragraph is contradicted by your second paragraph. "Now probably *range setup*" (not launch vehicle availability).
Returning back to news updates, I decided to check out what's going on with Formosat-5 - it's still in Taiwan, though apparently ready for shipping. So at least this is not what holding the launch.(Picture) These kids participating in a winter camp last month actually got a chance to see Formosat-5 and the Formosat-7 constellation (*) up close. You can see them building a Formosat-5 paper model and taking group photos in front of a not-so-precise F9 model. (*) The 1st 6 are going up on FH/STP-2
Quote from: cscott on 02/07/2017 08:44 pmQuote from: gongora on 02/07/2017 03:54 amOriginally payload availability and FCC licensing, then the range closure, then FCC licensing, and now probably launch vehicle availability.p.s. The "red tape" mentioned above was not SpaceX specific, and not long term. It actually wasn't red tape at all, but had to do with the western range setup.The end of your first paragraph is contradicted by your second paragraph. "Now probably *range setup*" (not launch vehicle availability).I don't see any contradiction. I don't think the mission is ready to fly. There has been no indication it will launch anytime soon. The current range issue is completely irrelevant in that case.
Quote from: gongora on 02/07/2017 09:03 pmQuote from: cscott on 02/07/2017 08:44 pmQuote from: gongora on 02/07/2017 03:54 amOriginally payload availability and FCC licensing, then the range closure, then FCC licensing, and now probably launch vehicle availability.p.s. The "red tape" mentioned above was not SpaceX specific, and not long term. It actually wasn't red tape at all, but had to do with the western range setup.The end of your first paragraph is contradicted by your second paragraph. "Now probably *range setup*" (not launch vehicle availability).I don't see any contradiction. I don't think the mission is ready to fly. There has been no indication it will launch anytime soon. The current range issue is completely irrelevant in that case.They've got not one but two falcons ready to go and queued up at 39A waiting for the pad to be ready. We know vandy has range issues. I don't think the vehicle is the long stick in this tent.
SpaceX may have issues with the range, but VAFB does not have range issues.
Quote from: WHAP on 02/08/2017 03:46 amSpaceX may have issues with the range, but VAFB does not have range issues.What kind of issues SpaceX has at Vandenberg? They launched recently, something went wrong in that occasion?
Tweet from Peter B. de Selding:QuoteCustomer on @SpaceflightInc 's Sherpa tug awaiting @SpaceX launch: Our best guess at this point is a 2018 launch.Space Intel Report: US policy on India’s rockets: Dead man walking
Customer on @SpaceflightInc 's Sherpa tug awaiting @SpaceX launch: Our best guess at this point is a 2018 launch.
One of our biggest, and most valued, differentiators in the market is that Spaceflight is dedicated to providing our customers an array of launch options to meet their deployment needs. Never has this come into play more than it did these last several weeks.Here’s the challenge: Getting to space is hard. All launch vehicles experience delays and failures – and this pain is felt by the entire launch industry – no one is spared. On the flipside, when launches happen (like many have recently), it’s cause for all to celebrate. Revolutionizing commercial space is hard, but it’s exactly what we all signed up to do.We applaud the work that SpaceX has done, and is continuing to do on behalf of the industry. We couldn’t be more thrilled to see them solve some of the toughest challenges of our time and always look forward to working with them. However, they recently communicated their 2017 manifest and the impact on the Formosat-5 mission is significant. We learned our launch would occur potentially much later than expected. (As a secondary rideshare on this mission, our control of the schedule is far less than when we’re the primary like on our SSO-A dedicated mission later this year.)Our response: Our job, first and foremost, is to satisfy our customers’ needs to get into space as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. While delays are inevitable in the launch business, we made the decision to rebook all our customers slated to launch on the FormoSat-5 mission.The result: We found each of our customers an alternative launch that was within the same time frame. It took a huge effort, but within two weeks, the team hustled to have all customers who wanted to be rebooked confirmed on other launches!This flexibility and access to other LVs, the standardization of technology, and the expertise of our team is indeed the “secret sauce” of Spaceflight. Because we work with many launch providers around the world, we can give our customers the most options to meet their needs. I am incredibly proud of our team. They worked tirelessly with all our launch partners to rebook our customers so quickly. Our customers can be sure that we will always go above and beyond to fulfill our commitment to get them to space.Onward and upward,Curt Blake
