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#20
by
SpacexULA
on 15 Jun, 2010 17:44
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Anyway, we can safely assume that not all of the 5 flights would be before 2013 but more like 1 Orbcomm flight every 12 months.
Why would you assume such a low flight rate? The Falcon 1 for Flight 5 was in Kwajalein 3 months after Flight 4 in August 2007, but was delayed due to integration issues. Hopefully they have grown past that and can get down to a 3/4 month gap between vehicles.
Between that and it would be nice for them to be able to test the block 2 Merlin several times on Falcon 1 before rolling the dice on a COTS flight.
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#21
by
kevin-rf
on 15 Jun, 2010 17:52
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SpaceX is not the only factor that sets the flight rate. How fast can the Orbcomm birds be manufactured?
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#22
by
ugordan
on 15 Jun, 2010 17:54
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Between that and it would be nice for them to be able to test the block 2 Merlin several times on Falcon 1 before rolling the dice on a COTS flight.
It wouldn't be any more dicey than the flight 11 days ago.
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#23
by
SpacexULA
on 15 Jun, 2010 18:02
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Between that and it would be nice for them to be able to test the block 2 Merlin several times on Falcon 1 before rolling the dice on a COTS flight.
It wouldn't be any more dicey than the flight 11 days ago.
Absolutely agreed. But a good chunk of the reason Falcon 9 went so well was the 3 suboptimal Falcon 1 flights. Best 20-30 Million any aerospace firm has ever put at the bottom of the ocean.
My only point is better to let a Falcon 1 carry the test risk than a Falcon 9, especially considering the payloads Falcon 9 will be carrying for the next few years.
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#24
by
simonth
on 15 Jun, 2010 18:08
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Anyway, we can safely assume that not all of the 5 flights would be before 2013 but more like 1 Orbcomm flight every 12 months.
Why would you assume such a low flight rate?
Because that correlates with the contract. First launch period in 2010, the fifth launch period in 2014. The most realistic distribution between is one flight in 2011, 2012 and 2013 each.
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#25
by
ugordan
on 15 Jun, 2010 18:09
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My only point is better to let a Falcon 1 carry the test risk than a Falcon 9, especially considering the payloads Falcon 9 will be carrying for the next few years.
I still don't see the reason why anything other than a CRS flight should take the risk of flying the first Block 2.
1) There's nine engines there so there's engine out
2) CRS flights won't max out a F9 anyway
3) "toilet paper, t-shirts and tang" aren't high priority payloads
Better to test a F9 Block 2 on a CRS flight and still very likely get the mission done than risk a say GTO payload that's more likely to max out F9 performance margin.
They'll accumulate a couple of thousand seconds of firing time on an engine upgrade before committing it to flight, so the risk wouldn't really be that high, anyway. There are still remaining risks with the basic F9 vehicle that won't be completely settled until at least they have several flights under their belt.
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#26
by
SpacexULA
on 15 Jun, 2010 18:15
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They'll accumulate a couple of thousand seconds of firing time on an engine upgrade before committing it to flight, so the risk wouldn't really be that high, anyway. There are still remaining risks with the basic F9 vehicle that won't be completely settled until at least they have several flights under their belt.
Thanks for the explanation. I see your point.
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#27
by
Robotbeat
on 15 Jun, 2010 19:00
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My only point is better to let a Falcon 1 carry the test risk than a Falcon 9, especially considering the payloads Falcon 9 will be carrying for the next few years.
I still don't see the reason why anything other than a CRS flight should take the risk of flying the first Block 2.
...
What exactly IS a block-2 Falcon 9 versus block 1? Does anyone even know?
I think it's going to be flown rather soon. I bet you SpaceX is already manufacturing their first block 2 Falcon 9.
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#28
by
docmordrid
on 15 Jun, 2010 20:16
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#29
by
Robotbeat
on 15 Jun, 2010 20:26
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Increased performance mainly due to engine improvements. IIRC the total first stage thrust of the block 1 was ~800,000 lb/ft while the block 2 is 1,110,000 lb/ft
http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/falcon9.html#config
Right, but it seems to me that even that website doesn't have terribly good sources for its information. It doesn't seem to me that SpaceX is even selling launch services for its block 1 Falcon 9.
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#30
by
docmordrid
on 15 Jun, 2010 20:29
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Dunno about that....
Falcon 9 Block 2 (Merlin 1C+)
2010 and Later
Might as well ride your best horse.
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#31
by
zaitcev
on 15 Jun, 2010 20:59
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Why would you assume such a low flight rate? The Falcon 1 for Flight 5 was in Kwajalein 3 months after Flight 4 in August 2007, but was delayed due to integration issues. Hopefully they have grown past that and can get down to a 3/4 month gap between vehicles.
The question is how people and the equipment were assigned between the F-1 and F-9 lines. Without any insider information I cannot be sure, but Elon probably relocates workers from task to task, even if F1 is given a degree of autonomy within the company. F1 program will be starved if the management attention is concentrated on high-profile flights of Dragon to ISS.
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#32
by
daver
on 16 Jun, 2010 00:37
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#33
by
Galactic Penguin SST
on 28 Jan, 2015 15:31
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Well, we can struck this one off the 2015 launch manifest:
according to a Taiwan newspaper it isn't going to launch till Q1 of 2016.
Then again, this is the 1st EO satellite ever to be assembled in Taiwan, so it really needs more time...
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#34
by
dorkmo
on 29 Jan, 2015 16:42
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#35
by
docmordrid
on 29 Jan, 2015 18:27
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Well, we can struck this one off the 2015 launch manifest: according to a Taiwan newspaper it isn't going to launch till Q1 of 2016.
Then again, this is the 1st EO satellite ever to be assembled in Taiwan, so it really needs more time...
"The satellite is expected to find the connection between ion concentration in the ionosphere and earthquakes."
sounds like theyre testing the consipracy theories for the HAARP project lulz
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Frequency_Active_Auroral_Research_Program#Conspiracy_theories
Sounds more like they're testing the theory that as the earthquake risk rises piezoelectric effects in the tectonic plates cause atmospheric ionization. If so it could aid earthquake predictions.
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#36
by
mtakala24
on 15 May, 2015 10:53
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The first Finnish satellite project, Aalto-1 3U cubesat, is being quoted in several Finnish media as launching December 2015 on SpaceX rocket carrying a remote sensing satellite and possibly a record amount of other cubesats. Could it be this launch?
edit: It cannot be one of the SAOCOM sats, as the launch is quoted as being performed from Cape Canaveral, and both SAOCOMs on SpaceX:s manifest are from Vandenberg. The launch also might be the STP-2 launch, but that has been pushed back to 2016 for a long time now.
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#37
by
Jarnis
on 15 May, 2015 14:27
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I'm fairly sure Aalto-1 will be on the STP-2 because the duration is quoted to be two years. You don't get two year mission out of a Cubesat dropped to low LEO. Lightsail 1 is also on STP-2 specifically because it offers unusually high orbit for a Cubesat ride.
Edit: or if not STP-2, then some other ride that would offer a high enough orbit for a 3U cubesat to stay up for two years...
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#38
by
deruch
on 15 May, 2015 15:39
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The first Finnish satellite project, Aalto-1 3U cubesat, is being quoted in several Finnish media as launching December 2015 on SpaceX rocket carrying a remote sensing satellite and possibly a record amount of other cubesats. Could it be this launch?
edit: It cannot be one of the SAOCOM sats, as the launch is quoted as being performed from Cape Canaveral, and both SAOCOMs on SpaceX:s manifest are from Vandenberg. The launch also might be the STP-2 launch, but that has been pushed back to 2016 for a long time now.
1.4. FORMOSAT-5 Satellite Characteristics
The FORMOSAT-5 satellite is expected to have the following characteristics:
Mission Orbit: 720 km circular, sun synchronous
Parking Orbit: 720 km circular, 98.28 degree inclination
Satellite Lift-off (Wet) Weight: no more than 525 kg
Mission Life: 5 years minimum
Sounds like Falcon 1e, good call Chris
Formosat-5 is going to sun-synchronous orbit. With initial parking orbit inclined at 98.28 degrees, Vandenberg is only possibility (unless they want to launch from Kwaj.
)
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#39
by
Skyrocket
on 15 May, 2015 16:49
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The first Finnish satellite project, Aalto-1 3U cubesat, is being quoted in several Finnish media as launching December 2015 on SpaceX rocket carrying a remote sensing satellite and possibly a record amount of other cubesats. Could it be this launch?
edit: It cannot be one of the SAOCOM sats, as the launch is quoted as being performed from Cape Canaveral, and both SAOCOMs on SpaceX:s manifest are from Vandenberg. The launch also might be the STP-2 launch, but that has been pushed back to 2016 for a long time now.
1.4. FORMOSAT-5 Satellite Characteristics
The FORMOSAT-5 satellite is expected to have the following characteristics:
Mission Orbit: 720 km circular, sun synchronous
Parking Orbit: 720 km circular, 98.28 degree inclination
Satellite Lift-off (Wet) Weight: no more than 525 kg
Mission Life: 5 years minimum
Sounds like Falcon 1e, good call Chris
Formosat-5 is going to sun-synchronous orbit. With initial parking orbit inclined at 98.28 degrees, Vandenberg is only possibility (unless they want to launch from Kwaj. )
Formosat-5 will launch from Vandenberg, currently planned for December 2015.
Among the Cubesats on this mission are Arkyd-6, a TBD number of NASA sponsored cubesats (ELaNa-XIII) and the South Korean CNUSail 1, KAUSAT 5, SIGMA, CANYVAL-X 1, CANYVAL-X 2, STEP Cube Lab cubesats.
Possibly on board are 20 cubesats from Spire Global (not yet confirmed).
Absolutely agreed. But a good chunk of the reason Falcon 9 went so well was the 3 suboptimal Falcon 1 flights. Best 20-30 Million any aerospace firm has ever put at the bottom of the ocean.
)