To return to this area needs approximately 18 hours. Despite of today's next planned attempt, this fairing carrier is still waiting in this port - indicates, that apparently due to the weather is today's launch clearly not on his schedule.
Quote from: Elthiryel on 12/20/2018 02:41 pmIt looks like GPS III SV01 is going to be the first flight with new COPVs in both stages.https://twitter.com/Free_Space/status/1075777466323460103I thought Hans already said this back on Dec. 5th when CRS-16 launched, no? Why is this sticking in my head that this isn't new information?(Posting in the update thread as I'm not certain this is an update vs. a publication of information we were told 2 weeks ago.)
It looks like GPS III SV01 is going to be the first flight with new COPVs in both stages.https://twitter.com/Free_Space/status/1075777466323460103
Quote from: ChrisGebhardt on 12/20/2018 02:48 pmQuote from: Elthiryel on 12/20/2018 02:41 pmIt looks like GPS III SV01 is going to be the first flight with new COPVs in both stages.https://twitter.com/Free_Space/status/1075777466323460103I thought Hans already said this back on Dec. 5th when CRS-16 launched, no? Why is this sticking in my head that this isn't new information?(Posting in the update thread as I'm not certain this is an update vs. a publication of information we were told 2 weeks ago.)I think he only said that during the previous flight the new COPVs were on the second stage only, there was no reference to the next flight.
Will the potential shutdown affect Saturday's scheduled launch? If so, is that partly why SpaceX tried to launch this morning when they knew weather would likely not cooperate?
DOD FY19 appropriation bill signed and has been enacted... not sure about NASA
Quote from: gongora on 12/15/2018 07:22 pmAir Force MagazineQuote“For this first flight, we’re going through making sure we’re taking care of the spacecraft … Everything we do, we’re making sure we treat it safely,” said Walter Lauderdale, mission director of SMC’s launch enterprise systems directorate. After launch, he said USAF, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX will “come back together as a team and look for opportunities to see if we can get performance back that will enable SpaceX to recover their vehicle.”...Whitney said he anticipates OCX Block 1, which would enable M-Code capability, to be delivered in the 2021-2022 timeframe. Once launched it could take as long as six to nine months to check out the satellite on orbit and then another six to nine months to integrate the GPS III satellite with the rest of the constellation, officials said.I read this quote differently. They are concerned about the spacecraft, treating it with kid gloves. Then after launch, USAF and LM will look for performance gains. Those two organizations are not in a position to increase the performance of the F9, only the payload. Thus it appears to me that either they doesn't know what the satellite's propulsion performance will be, they aren't happy with their numbers and think they can do better on the next version, or they are prepared to increase the time for orbital maneuvers to be more fuel efficient.I don't know how else the team would be able to "get performance back". Get it back from where?
Air Force MagazineQuote“For this first flight, we’re going through making sure we’re taking care of the spacecraft … Everything we do, we’re making sure we treat it safely,” said Walter Lauderdale, mission director of SMC’s launch enterprise systems directorate. After launch, he said USAF, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX will “come back together as a team and look for opportunities to see if we can get performance back that will enable SpaceX to recover their vehicle.”...Whitney said he anticipates OCX Block 1, which would enable M-Code capability, to be delivered in the 2021-2022 timeframe. Once launched it could take as long as six to nine months to check out the satellite on orbit and then another six to nine months to integrate the GPS III satellite with the rest of the constellation, officials said.
“For this first flight, we’re going through making sure we’re taking care of the spacecraft … Everything we do, we’re making sure we treat it safely,” said Walter Lauderdale, mission director of SMC’s launch enterprise systems directorate. After launch, he said USAF, Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX will “come back together as a team and look for opportunities to see if we can get performance back that will enable SpaceX to recover their vehicle.”...Whitney said he anticipates OCX Block 1, which would enable M-Code capability, to be delivered in the 2021-2022 timeframe. Once launched it could take as long as six to nine months to check out the satellite on orbit and then another six to nine months to integrate the GPS III satellite with the rest of the constellation, officials said.
They additionally seem to be ignoring any data that they haven't collected themselves.
Quote from: mlindner on 12/21/2018 12:23 amThey additionally seem to be ignoring any data that they haven't collected themselves.That fits exactly what we see. Not sure if its actually a correct statement, but they treat this like the first launch of the system where they dont know the margins.
Does anyone have the limits for upper level winds at hand? That seems to be the only concern today (so far).
Quote from: Skylab on 12/22/2018 12:04 pmDoes anyone have the limits for upper level winds at hand? That seems to be the only concern today (so far).It's likely it's not the max wind speed that's the limiting factor, but wind shear that could affect vehicle controllability.
Is there a website that forecasts upper level winds?
It's unlikely that anyone outside of SpaceX will have that data as it's really down to the mission profile and what the vehicle can steer through at different Q environments (i.e. it's not a fixed limit related to wind shear, but also how much drag the atmosphere imparts on the vehicle at that point in the trajectory). They probably run the actual wind profile through their hardware in the loop simulation to see if the vehicle can successfully fly through without tumbling and breakup given the control response delays and other characteristics specific to the vehicle.
On a different note, is it me or did this webcast have a significantly lower bitrate than the other ones? There were severe compression artifacts showing at the full 1080p quality.
