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

[Poole Amateur]

Could that be due to a delay with investigation sign off by the FAA?

[whitelancer64]

Could that be due to a delay with investigation sign off by the FAA?

Same day as the release of Rogue One. Can't conflict with that.

[dkrening]

Well boogers.  There goes my trip to Vandenberg for my first launch.  And my side trip to the Firestone Walker Barrelhouse / Brewery!

[Basto]

Well boogers.  There goes my trip to Vandenberg for my first launch.  And my side trip to the Firestone Walker Barrelhouse / Brewery!

Didn't realize FW was that close to Vandenberg!  Will have to start planning a double pilgrimage myself.

[zubenelgenubi]

Re:

"NEXT sats 9 & 10 arrived at VAFB. First launch payload is complete! "

http://blog.iridium.com/2016/08/29/special-delivery-the-first-full-payload-of-iridium-next-satellites-arrives-at-launch-site/

And Re: First two Iridium Next satellites shipped to Vandenberg, dated August 3

The first two next-generation Iridium satellites, designed to connect global subscribers with data and voice traffic, arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Tuesday [August 2], where they will join eight more message relay craft for launch in September on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Where at VAFB is the SpaceX satellite processing facility?

And is this where the Jason-3 and CASSIOPE payloads were processed?

[russianhalo117]

Re:

"NEXT sats 9 & 10 arrived at VAFB. First launch payload is complete! "

http://blog.iridium.com/2016/08/29/special-delivery-the-first-full-payload-of-iridium-next-satellites-arrives-at-launch-site/

And Re: First two Iridium Next satellites shipped to Vandenberg, dated August 3

The first two next-generation Iridium satellites, designed to connect global subscribers with data and voice traffic, arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Tuesday [August 2], where they will join eight more message relay craft for launch in September on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Where at VAFB is the SpaceX satellite processing facility?

And is this where the Jason-3 and CASSIOPE payloads were processed?

All F9 VAFB payloads to date have been processed at different SPF's so far.

Astrotech Space Operations - Vandenberg AFB (http://www.astrotechspaceoperations.com/operating-facilities/aso-vandenberg-afb)
Integrated Processing Facility that is part of SLC-6 (http://www.calspace.com/IPF/IPF_Overview.html)
and some others

[vapour_nudge]

IMHO this misson is a likely candidate for the return to flight for Falcon-9 (or the Formosat-5 / Sherpa mission)

Agreed. What's your guess for the next launch? My money is on February

Looking good for February now 😄

[Jim]

Where at VAFB is the SpaceX satellite processing facility?

And is this where the Jason-3 and CASSIOPE payloads were processed?

At the end of the Spacex hangar and yes.

[mn]

Seems to be a little ruffled feathers between SpaceX and FAA, at least according to this guy:
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/spacex-says-ready-liftoff-faa-begs-differ/

However, that January launch might be optimistic. “They have not completed their investigation and therefore they do not have an (FAA launch) license,” said an FAA spokesperson

Just for the record, what I read on wired is often so wrong on facts it's laughable, but this guy is quoting an FAA spokesperson?

[Paul Adams]

Non-story no matter where it is published. If SpaceX has not finished it's investigation I doubt they have even applied for a license.

If the FAA refuse a license after Space X apply for it, that might be something! But I doubt that very, very much.

[georgegassaway]

Can someone who knows (not speculation), shed some light on the “Chicken or the Egg” aspect of the SpaceX Pad Explosion report's release regarding the FAA.

Is the report supposed to come out first (publicly?), then the FAA responds to it?

Or is FAA given a copy of the report before it is made public, then FAA is supposed to respond to it BEFORE SpaceX makes the report public?

And yes I do know that FAA is involved in the investigation and to a limited extent involved with the report. But it’s SpaceX’s investigation and report, it’s not a co-production with FAA.

So if the report comes out “officially” first, then the FAA responds to it, then it would seem the lack of the report, yet, by SpaceX is not the responsibility of anyone other than SpaceX.

If OTOH  the official report is complete but kept under wraps for FAA response to a copy provided to them, then that’s a different issue. 

Also of course if it has been completed but kept under wraps for FAA to review it…. then how long ago would it have been given to the FAA.  I do not expect anyone to be able to publicly say how long FAA might have had the report if indeed it’s been completed, just pointing out that even if FAA does have a copy…..or whenever they do get a copy,  it’s not like SpaceX could expect the FAA to respond to it within days.

I can recall about exactly a year ago when SpaceX was saying they were going to do an RTLS at LZ-1…. but FAA had not yet given them permission to do so. Then almost literally at the last minute (OK,  few days), it came thru.

[Toastmastern]

Can someone who knows (not speculation), shed some light on the “Chicken or the Egg” aspect of the SpaceX Pad Explosion report's release regarding the FAA.

Is the report supposed to come out first (publicly?), then the FAA responds to it?

Or is FAA given a copy of the report before it is made public, then FAA is supposed to respond to it BEFORE SpaceX makes the report public?

And yes I do know that FAA is involved in the investigation and to a limited extent involved with the report. But it’s SpaceX’s investigation and report, it’s not a co-production with FAA.

So if the report comes out “officially” first, then the FAA responds to it, then it would seem the lack of the report, yet, by SpaceX is not the responsibility of anyone other than SpaceX.

If OTOH  the official report is complete but kept under wraps for FAA response to a copy provided to them, then that’s a different issue. 

Also of course if it has been completed but kept under wraps for FAA to review it…. then how long ago would it have been given to the FAA.  I do not expect anyone to be able to publicly say how long FAA might have had the report if indeed it’s been completed, just pointing out that even if FAA does have a copy…..or whenever they do get a copy,  it’s not like SpaceX could expect the FAA to respond to it within days.

I can recall about exactly a year ago when SpaceX was saying they were going to do an RTLS at LZ-1…. but FAA had not yet given them permission to do so. Then almost literally at the last minute (OK,  few days), it came thru.

The report will not be made public, same as with the CRS-7 report

[woods170]

Is the report supposed to come out first (publicly?), then the FAA responds to it?

The report will not be made public, same as with the CRS-7 report

Correct. The best the public can expect to see is a short summary of the report. After all, this is not NASA.

[manoweb]

I am curious, but given that there are government agencies involved in writing/signing/approving this report, would it be theoretically possible to request a copy under the Freedom of Information Act?

[Stephen GW]

I am curious, but given that there are government agencies involved in writing/signing/approving this report, would it be theoretically possible to request a copy under the Freedom of Information Act?

Probably not. The detailed information in the report is likely to be embargoed under an ITAR classification.

[dmgaba]

I am curious, but given that there are government agencies involved in writing/signing/approving this report, would it be theoretically possible to request a copy under the Freedom of Information Act?

Probably not. The detailed information in the report is likely to be embargoed under an ITAR classification.

Similarly not --  there is an exemption in FOIA for trade secrets and commercial or financial confidential information.

[mvpel]

Probably not. The detailed information in the report is likely to be embargoed under an ITAR classification.

In fact it's expressly embargoed under ITAR section 124.2(c)4)(i) through (c)(4)(iii) which covers design methodology, engineering analysis, and manufacturing know-how.

[Chris Bergin]

Tiny trim to remove conspiracy from the discussion (no one was really claiming it, but asking the question that could infer it....ain't nobody got time for that )

For what it's worth, with the caveat no one really talks during investigations, what's being fed down to some of the NASA guys I know has them making positive noises about what SpaceX is doing in this interim period. That's (Captain Obvious) a good thing, not least because NASA is a major customer and have arguably much stricter rules, etc (not to say SpaceX doesn't have strict rules of course).

[manoweb]

@Chris Bergin, what do you mean with that? Are you saying that they are very confident they have found the real solution to their pad explosion?

[DOCinCT]

@Chris Bergin, what do you mean with that? Are you saying that they are very confident they have found the real solution to their pad explosion?

OR that the NASA folks just like the way SpaceX is proceeding with their investigation: comprehensive, systematic and professional.