SpaceX Falcon 9 - Iridium NEXT Flight 1 DISCUSSION (Jan. 14 2017)

[russianhalo117]

Did the extra downtime allow for the RTLS pad at Vandenberg to be available for this launch, assuming mid- to late- December?  Or is it expected to land on JRTI out in the Pacific?

PM Helodriver as he is most likely to know.

[chrisking0997]

did the Vandenburg thread get embargoed to L2?  I wasnt able to find it and havent seen much other than this thread

[AnalogMan]

did the Vandenburg thread get embargoed to L2?  I wasnt able to find it and havent seen much other than this thread

SpaceX Vandenburg thread has been moved to the SpaceX archive section (no posts for since Dec 2015):
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35480.0

[1]

did the Vandenburg thread get embargoed to L2?  I wasnt able to find it and havent seen much other than this thread

Yes, the VAFB stuff got moved into L2. From a while ago:

All future high resolution photo updates about SpaceX Vandenberg activities will be on a new dedicated L2 thread. SpaceX has voiced legitimate concerns to me about potential misuse of prior photos posted here and no further detailed ones will be posted here by me. They also said that my photos, due to their quality, have been used for internal SpaceX purposes too

Photo updates on Vandenberg activities will continue, discussions on how they will be shared are underway with SpaceX site management. Going forward this cooperative arrangement should be of benefit to all of us on NSF and the SpaceX'ers busy building the world's first self contained VTOL orbital spaceport. Good times ahead!

A bit of a voluntary embargo perhaps, but since this kind cooperation keeps this site in the good graces SpaceX et. al., I think it's for the best.

[Chris Bergin]

Keeping up to date with the milestones. Still require the official manifest plan and launch date (the investigation is obviously top priority) for the update thread to kick off....

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/11/spacex-rockets-december-return/

[Ronsmytheiii]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BM94N0whiHZ/

Core leaving Waco

[Star One]

If it's going to be mid December we should start seeing the prelaunch flow any day



Can't wait, it's been very boring without SpaceX launch and landings.

Boring is good in the launcher business don't knock it.

[Comga]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BM94N0whiHZ/

Core leaving Waco

We have a tweet link posted above of the first stage for Iridium Next #1 arriving at VAFB earlier this week.

This tweet was from 6 days ago.  Just posted here out of sequence.

[Chris Bergin]

Been working it in L2, but you have to be careful with single source. A few more with the same date now so putting it into the public thread:

*Preliminary* planning schedule shows SpaceX Falcon 9 (Iridium NEXT) - NET December 16 (T-0 around midday, local).

Subject to Change. Not official. Don't go booking flights, etc. Would be that disclaimer at the best of times, but more so with the current concentration on finalizing the Amos-6 investigation, etc.

[pb2000]

Any word on if this will be RTLS?

[old_sellsword]

Any word on if this will be RTLS?

With EchoStar 23 hinting at an early January launch, it would certainly seem so.

Edit: Oops, mixed up RTF and RTLS.

[eriblo]

Any word on if this will be RTLS?

With EchoStar 23 hinting at an early January launch, it would certainly seem so.

It will be the RTF if nothing untoward happens, but the FCC application was for the ASDS JRTI instead of RTLS Remember that it is a heavy (the heaviest so far?) payload to a higher orbit than the ISS. NASA's LV performance website gives 8380 kg (RTLS) and 11330 kg (ASDS), this is 9600 kg.

[pb2000]

Any word on if this will be RTLS?

the FCC application was for the ASDS JRTI instead of RTLS

Darn. I'll probably make the ~15 hour round trip again (went to worldview-4), and was hoping for a double feature. Oh well, I guess JRTI is long overdue for it's moment in the spotlight (as oppose to fireball light).

[meberbs]

Darn. I'll probably make the ~15 hour round trip again (went to worldview-4), and was hoping for a double feature. Oh well, I guess JRTI is long overdue for it's moment in the spotlight (as oppose to fireball light).

If I remember right, the barge won't be too far from shore, (maybe 50 miles rather than 100s) You might be able to see the start of the landing burn if you are looking the right way.

P.S. you should fix your quotes

[zubenelgenubi]

Been working it in L2, but you have to be careful with single source. A few more with the same date now so putting it into the public thread:

*Preliminary* planning schedule shows SpaceX Falcon 9 (Iridium NEXT) - NET December 16 (T-0 around midday, local).

Subject to Change. Not official. Don't go booking flights, etc. Would be that disclaimer at the best of times, but more so with the current concentration on finalizing the Amos-6 investigation, etc.

If this schedule survives, we could be looking at back-to-back orbital launches--within the span of a few hours--one each in the Eastern and Western Test Ranges!  (Iridium Next and EchoStar XIX).

Seeking confirmation from our forum experts:
These ranges operate independently, so therefore there's no interference between supporting launches on both ranges simultaneously?

EDIT 12/1: See here (this thread, next page) re: TDRS availability.

[Chris Bergin]

Been working it in L2, but you have to be careful with single source. A few more with the same date now so putting it into the public thread:

*Preliminary* planning schedule shows SpaceX Falcon 9 (Iridium NEXT) - NET December 16 (T-0 around midday, local).

Subject to Change. Not official. Don't go booking flights, etc. Would be that disclaimer at the best of times, but more so with the current concentration on finalizing the Amos-6 investigation, etc.

If this schedule survives, we could be looking at back-to-back orbital launches--within the span of a few hours--one each in the Eastern and Western Test Ranges!  (Iridium Next and EchoStar XIX).

Seeking confirmation from our forum experts:
These ranges operate independently, so therefore there's no interference between supporting launches on both ranges simultaneously?

I'm certainly not an expert But if the schedules hold (and that's a big ask at the best of times) I'm sure there wouldn't be a conflict. Different ranges, and I don't think there's any split of resource (like LSP or NASA, etc). Will leave that to a Jim-level member to confirm.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

I think I finally have all this merged in; still have related links & footnotes though.  Many thanks, gongora!

The following changes are needed to the manifest:

Additions:
Inmarsat 5 F4, 2017-Q1 (probably not before February) on F9 to GTO
Bangabandhu, 2017-12 on F9 to GTO
Inmarsat 6 F1, 2020 on F9? to GTO

Change Dates:
Move Koreasat 5A to 2017-Q1 from TBD (was late 2016)
Move Intelsat 35e to 2017-Q2 from 2017-Q1
Move Iridium flight dates for flights 2 through 7 to 2017-03, 2017-05, 2017-07, 2017-09, 2017-11, 2018-01?
SES-11 is scheduled for 2017-H1, so I'd probably stick it no earlier than April for now
Move Falcon Heavy Demo to 2017-05 from 2017-03
Move CCTCAP DM1 to 2017-07 from 2017-05
CCTCAP In Flight Abort Test will be later in the year if it even happens in 2017
Move STP-2 to 2017-Q3 from 2017-03
Move CCTCAP DM2 to 2017-11 from 2017-08

Other:
If Europasat stays with SpaceX it will launch on F9 instead of FH
GRACE-FO isn't confirmed as a SpaceX payload, maybe mark it somehow as unconfirmed
There is only one ViaSat 3 launch, remove one row

The Iridium dates were originally 2 months apart because of the sat build rate. The sats are still being built. So the 2-7 flights will be able to do monthly flights for flight 2(starting in Mar[03] because of the 3 month required checkout) to 4 (May[05]) with the remaining at the original 2 month spacing #5-07 #6-09 #7-11.

This means that the Iridium launches can catch back up to the original full deployment end date.

[gongora]

There are a LOT of launches on the SpaceX manifest besides Iridium.  Iridium has already said they expect final deployment in 2018 now.  Every two months starting in March 2017 would end in January 2018, we shouldn't expect a schedule any more aggressive than that.

[mn]

There are a LOT of launches on the SpaceX manifest besides Iridium...

The vast majority are from Florida, so if they have available cores they may very well be able to do more than once every two months from Vandenberg?

[gongora]

How often they could launch from Vandenberg is irrelevant.  Moving up later Iridium flights would jump them in front of other customers that have also paid SpaceX for launch contracts.