SpaceX FH: STP-2 : LC-39A : June 25, 2019 - DISCUSSION

[dkopacz]

When might more details come out as far as launch window. Thinking about traveling for this launch.

[Targeteer]

May 15, 2019
MEDIA ADVISORY M19-037

Media Invited to SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch of Four NASA Missions

Media accreditation is open for SpaceX’s third Falcon Heavy launch, targeted for Saturday, June 22, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four unique NASA technology missions that will help improve future spacecraft design and performance are among the two dozen spacecraft aboard the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission.

Members of the media who are foreign nationals and interested in covering the launch must fill out this SpaceX media accreditation form and provide a photocopy of their passport and valid visa to [email protected] by no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 21. Members of the media who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and interested in covering the launch must fill out this media accreditation form by no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 13.

The NASA technologies aboard this mission – including a small spacecraft, pair of CubeSats, payload and testbed of instruments – will help better equip and support the agency’s future exploration plans, including returning astronauts to the Moon in five years.

The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) is NASA's first attempt to use a new non-toxic fuel and propulsion system in space. The technology replaces conventional chemical propulsion systems and offers simplified prelaunch processing, increased payload mass, enhanced spacecraft maneuverability, and longer mission durations. A successful demonstration of this capability on a Ball Aerospace spacecraft will benefit future missions by providing safer propellant options for spaceflight.

The Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment (E-TBEx) explores “bubbles” in the electrically-charged layers of Earth's upper atmosphere, which can disrupt key communications and GPS signals that we rely on down on the ground. Such bubbles currently appear and evolve unpredictably, making them difficult to characterize from the ground. Increasing our understanding of them will help us prevent the disruption of the many radio signals that pass through Earth's upper atmosphere. The two NASA CubeSats on this mission will work in concert with the six satellites of NOAA's COSMIC-2 mission. Varying orbital positions among the eight spacecraft will give scientists chances to study these bubbles from multiple angles at once. 

A new kind of atomic clock aims to let spacecraft conduct precise navigation on their own, instead of waiting for trajectory information from Earth. This versatile technology also has science and exploration applications. The Deep Space Atomic Clock can be used to study planetary gravity fields and atmospheres, or could even enable a GPS-like capability on the surface of the Moon. The technology demonstration mission, developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is the primary payload on General Atomics’ Orbital Test Bed spacecraft.

Space Environment Testbeds (SET) works in the harsh radiation of near-Earth space to gather data on the very nature of space itself, which is constantly shaped by the Sun. Energetic particles can spark sudden computer problems or memory damage in spacecraft, and degrade hardware over time. Hosted on the Air Force Research Lab’s Demonstration and Science Experiments spacecraft and equipped with a space weather monitor and three circuit board experiments, SET will study this space radiation and how it affects instruments. This information can be used to improve spacecraft design, engineering, and operations in order to protect spacecraft and the work they do from harmful radiation.

STP-2 is managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. The Department of Defense mission will demonstrate the capabilities of the Falcon Heavy rocket while delivering satellites to multiple orbits around Earth over the course of about six hours.

To learn more about the STP-2 mission, visit:

https://www.spacex.com/stp-2

To stay updated about the NASA technology aboard this launch, visit:

www.nasa.gov/spacex

[Norm38]

I'm excited for the green propellant mission.  Hopefully they get the performance they hope for.  Seeing the mess caused by the Dragon 2 mishap, getting rid of hydrazine is the way to go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Propellant_Infusion_Mission

[PM3]

Ben Cooper reports that this launch would be around midnigt on 22/23 June.

http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html

[cscott]

Posted on the launch viewing thread:

I've got tickets to see the Falcon Heavy STP-2 launch from kickstarter (years and years ago now!) -- anyone else interested in meeting up, discussing hotel options, etc?

I suppose if there's enough interest we could set up a dedicated thread...

[Draggendrop]

https://twitter.com/AF_SMC/status/1133886398556016640

[PM3]

Ben Cooper reports that this launch would be around midnigt on 22/23 June.

http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.html

11:30 pm Eastern on June 22 - same source

(03:30 UTC on June 23)

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/AF_SMC/status/1133889180554031104

[emerrill]

11:30 pm Eastern on June 22 - same source

(03:30 UTC on June 23)

Just to add a +1 to this, I got the same date/time from a different, official, source a few days ago.

[StuffOfInterest]

How loud are the returning booster sonic booms in comparison to a close by thunder clap?  I would imagine that the people living near by won't appreciate an 11:40 PM set of booms.

[DaveS]

How loud are the returning booster sonic booms in comparison to a close by thunder clap?  I would imagine that the people living near by won't appreciate an 11:40 PM set of booms.

They lived with the shuttle's iconic twin sonic booms occurring.

[StuffOfInterest]

How loud are the returning booster sonic booms in comparison to a close by thunder clap?  I would imagine that the people living near by won't appreciate an 11:40 PM set of booms.

They lived with the shuttle's iconic twin sonic booms occurring.

True, but night landings were pretty rare and it has been far too many years since the Cape was graced with that distinctive sound.  I was just trying to get some context of how loud it is.  Wake up with your heart pounding vs. roll over and not even notice it.

[Comga]

How loud are the returning booster sonic booms in comparison to a close by thunder clap?  I would imagine that the people living near by won't appreciate an 11:40 PM set of booms.

They lived with the shuttle's iconic twin sonic booms occurring.

True, but night landings were pretty rare and it has been far too many years since the Cape was graced with that distinctive sound.  I was just trying to get some context of how loud it is.  Wake up with your heart pounding vs. roll over and not even notice it.

I experienced the sonic boom of the CRS-10 booster from about 9 miles distance.
It was significant and impressive, but not astounding.
People 20 miles away in their homes won't be alarmed.
Long ago someone posted on NSF maps of the sound level contours from returning Falcon first stages. 
They were limited to the immediate area of the Cape.

[Draggendrop]

https://twitter.com/exploreplanets/status/1134138853755801600

[cscott]

The Lightsail Kickstarter updates are still hedging on the June 22 date:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theplanetarysociety/lightsail-a-revolutionary-solar-sailing-spacecraft/posts/2523089

"I know how frustrating this is not to have more specific information. We are doing everything we can to lock down details, but we can't act until we get those details from the STP-2 mission managers and the good people at KSC VC. What we can do is commit to sharing with you everything that we can."

Any idea what's keeping KSC from making the June 22 date official?  Any chance it's still going to slip?

[gongora]

Any chance it's still going to slip?

How long have you been following rocket launches now?

[emerrill]

Any chance it's still going to slip?

How long have you been following rocket launches now?

Ha!

The be fair, this launch seems to have a bit more wishy-washy-ness surrounding it than usual.

[Robotbeat]

Not gonna lie, watching the video preview of this launch makes me nervous. This is a super complex mission. I hope they take their time to get things right.

[Draggendrop]

The one issue that had caught my attention is the LZ-1 site remediation progress prior to launch for the booster landings. The latest news that I have read is from this article'''

SpaceX cleaning up Cape Canaveral landing zone after Crew Dragon explosion
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2019/05/24/spacex-cleaning-up-cape-canaveral-landing-zone-after-crew-dragon-explosion/1227473001/

a few snips of the article...

"SpaceX teams continue cleanup efforts at the Cape Canaveral site where a Crew Dragon spacecraft exploded during testing in April, according to an update from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection."

"Over the last two weeks SpaceX has been completing the initial steps of cleanup, including clearing debris from the site," the department told FLORIDA TODAY via email on Wednesday. "Their next step is to begin soil sampling, which will be taking place throughout the month of June."

snip

"If all goes according to plan, the company will launch a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than June 22 with a series of Air Force and NASA payloads. The sites at Landing Zone 1 will be necessary if the company aims to recover two of its side boosters."

------

I hope this goes well. We also have a  NASA "social" in progress which should be real exciting for the participants.

Just a bit curious about this quote though as I may have misinterpreted the meaning...

Any chance it's still going to slip?

How long have you been following rocket launches now?

Ha!

The be fair, this launch seems to have a bit more wishy-washy-ness surrounding it than usual.

SpaceX and DOD appear to be following along with this being the 3rd launch of FH, as agreed upon, and progress is being made. I am therefore not sure where to place the ""wishy-washy-ness". Data from the first two FH missions required a review and the DOD is allowing "previously enjoyed" boosters for this mission. I may have missed something  entirely though.

Mission statement...

USAF Space & Missile Systems Center announces June 22 launch date for joint DOD/NASA/NOAA mission on SpaceX Falcon Heavy

http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=54055

a few snips...

"The upcoming Department of Defense’s Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission, carrying 24 payloads aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, is scheduled to liftoff from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on June 22, 2019."

snip

"STP-2 will mark the first-ever DOD launch using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, as well as the first-ever DOD mission with re-used rocket flight hardware. SpaceX plans to reuse the two Falcon Heavy side boosters recently flown on the successful Arabsat-6A mission.  It is among the most challenging launches in SpaceX history, with four separate upper-stage engine burns, three separate deployment orbits, and a final propulsive passivation maneuver during a total mission duration of over six hours."

snip

"The STP-2 mission will also provide the U.S. Air Force with insight into the SpaceX booster recovery and refurbishment process, enabling future National Security Space Launch missions on SpaceX launch vehicles using previously flown boosters."

-------------------

This will be a difficult mission but it appears SpaceX have demonstrated most of the procedures in prior launches and are as well equipped as any provider when it comes to spacecraft manoeuvring. There are always risks but I feel that they have a handle on this. This may shift to the right but it will be close enough to be reasonable, I would think.

Just my 2 cents...please correct if i have made an error or two...Thanx.

[PM3]

https://twitter.com/AF_SMC/status/1133886398556016640

http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=54055

a few snips...

"The upcoming Department of Defense’s Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission, carrying 24 payloads aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, is scheduled to liftoff from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on June 22, 2019."

Whoops - we have a new payload #24 here. The count on https://www.spacex.com/stp-2 also has been updated from 23 to 24. What could this be?

20 payloads listed on SpaceX site: DSX, Cosmic-2 (x 6), GPIM, Oculus, OTB, NPSAT, Prox-1, E-TBEx (x 2), LEO, Stangsat, PSAT, TEPCE (x 2), Lightsail-B

3 payloads expected to launch with STP-2: Armadillo, Bricsat-2, Falconsat-7

1 unknown