SpaceX Falcon Heavy : Arabsat 6A : LC-39A : April 11, 2019 - DISCUSSION

[aero1310]

How much does weather affect or delay prelaunch opperations? Like moving the rocket, commencing the static fire, etc. Do they push through or are there precautions that have to be taken?

[ChrisGebhardt]

How much does weather affect or delay prelaunch opperations? Like moving the rocket, commencing the static fire, etc. Do they push through or are there precautions that have to be taken?

They are governed by the same rules every is at KSC/CCAFS.  There are mandatory outdoor/seek shelter weather events that stop all work for everyone.  Once on the pad, they are governed by the Range weather and FH fueling restrictions for inclement weather.  To the crux of your question, they cannot simply proceed forward and ignore weather safety rules because it's a static fire.  A static fire is treated the same as a launch.

[scr00chy]

EDITING to add my response. (Chris G)

Everyday Astronaut and somebody on Reddit are suggesting that static fire slipped to April 4. Can anyone confirm?

https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1113141346875924480

[gongora]

https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1113481269084590081

Lockheed Martin says the Arabsat 6A satellite is fully loaded with fuel and oxidizer, and was encapsulated yesterday inside the Falcon Heavy’s payload fairing. Launch date to be confirmed after static fire, per usual SpaceX practice.

[RocketLover0119]

The predictions between white/black interstage can come to an end, white interstage:

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1113774839381336064

[scr00chy]

I don't understand why it's white. Some ideas:

- It's some kind of new feature/upgrade that will apply to all future boosters, including F9
- The black interstage is designed for dozens of reuses which would be overkill for FH center core which will probably only fly like 10 times tops, so they decided to use the old type of interstage
- Center core is strengthened and the interstage needs to be stronger too which isn't compatible with the black interstage, so this is some kind of FH-specific interstage, not just the old pre-B5 type
- Some other reason

[J-V]

I don't understand why it's white. Some ideas:

- It's some kind of new feature/upgrade that will apply to all future boosters, including F9
- The black interstage is designed for dozens of reuses which would be overkill for FH center core which will probably only fly like 10 times tops, so they decided to use the old type of interstage
- Center core is strengthen and the interstage needs to be stronger too which isn't compatible with the black interstage, so this is a FH-specific interstage, not just the old pre-B5 type
- Some other reason

- The center core comes in fast and hot so the interstage needs some SPAM to protect it from heating?

[bbored]

I don't understand why it's white. Some ideas:

- It's some kind of new feature/upgrade that will apply to all future boosters, including F9
- The black interstage is designed for dozens of reuses which would be overkill for FH center core which will probably only fly like 10 times tops, so they decided to use the old type of interstage
- Center core is strengthen and the interstage needs to be stronger too which isn't compatible with the black interstage, so this is a FH-specific interstage, not just the old pre-B5 type
- Some other reason

Maybe just aesthetics?

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

[haywoodfloyd]

https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/1113481269084590081

Lockheed Martin says the Arabsat 6A satellite is fully loaded with fuel and oxidizer, and was encapsulated yesterday inside the Falcon Heavy’s payload fairing. Launch date to be confirmed after static fire, per usual SpaceX practice.

Am I correct in assuming that the payload did not accompany the F4 Heavy to the launch pad for the hotfire test?

[scr00chy]

Also, the nose cones look used. Could they be from the demo mission?
https://twitter.com/izqomar/status/1113784071010701312

[spacebleachers]

Did heavy have the cone on top of the core for static fire last year?

[scr00chy]

Am I correct in assuming that the payload did not accompany the F4 Heavy to the launch pad for the hotfire test?

Yes

Did heavy have the cone on top of the core for static fire last year?

Yes

[Poole Amateur]

Did heavy have the cone on top of the core for static fire last year?

It carried the payload fairing for the static fire....

[ZachS09]

scr00chy, it DOES look like the side boosters' nose cones are being reused.

You can tell by the slight amount of soot on them.

[Orbiter]

I agree that the nosecones are the same ones from the first flight. No way they could have been scorched like that when fired at McGregor.

[mgeagon]

The side booster nose cones indeed look sooty. By inference then, the grid fins may be starting their second voyage. They do appear slightly lighter in color than on the center core.

[Alexphysics]

Don't concentrate too much into the "nosecones being reused" just because they look a bit darker, there are panels on the boosters tanks that also look darker and that doesn't mean they are reused...

[StuffOfInterest]

Interesting that a B5 derived Heavy center core has a white interstage vs black for the standard B5 first stage boosters.

[cppetrie]

Did heavy have the cone on top of the core for static fire last year?

It’s not a cone. There is nothing on top of the second stage. That’s just the bare end of the stage. It looks like that during every single stick F9 static fire when there is no payload attached, which has been all of them since the Amos-6 incident except DM-1.

[tleski]

Did heavy have the cone on top of the core for static fire last year?

It’s not a cone. There is nothing on top of the second stage. That’s just the bare end of the stage. It looks like that during every single stick F9 static fire when there is no payload attached, which has been all of them since the Amos-6 incident except DM-1.

I don't think it is completely bare. There is a cap used for static fires placed on top of the 2nd stage.