New: @Virgin_Orbit shows off its payload processing facility, explaining how the company can move spacecraft to wherever the launch is by using a mobile clean room
Request for Experimental AuthorityIridium Satellite LLC (“Iridium”) is a limited liability company with headquarters in McLean, VA. Iridium seeks experimental authority to add the MiniCarb cubesat as a point of communication as described below.The MiniCarb is a joint 6U cubesat mission by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (“LLNL”) and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center for space-based observation of atmospheric greenhouse gases from a low-Earth-orbiting cubesat. It will be launched on the STP-27VP mission coordinated by the United States Department of Defense Space Test Program, which is currently scheduled for the end of May 2019. The estimated on-orbit lifetime of the cubesat is three years.Iridium requests experimental authority for use of a single Iridium modem model 9523, to be used aboard the MiniCarb, to transmit to space stations in Iridium’s “Big LEO” constellation. The technical characteristics of these transmissions will be identical to the technical characteristic of Iridium’s already-licensed space station transmissions in the 1618.725–1626.5 MHz band.1Iridium’s space station constellation is licensed under Call Sign S2110. Because Iridium will be operating under the parameters of its license, no operating parameters, other than effective radiated power, were used in the form that this exhibit accompanies. The only change from Iridium’s licensed operations is that Iridium will be adding the MiniCarb-based modem as a point of communication. Iridium’s space station license does not cover intersatellite communications in the 1618.725–1626.5 MHz band.The MiniCarb will be nominally 500km, 45 degrees inclination. LLNL anticipates that the NTIA authorization for the MiniCarb will be issued by early May 2019.
What are they doing with this? Is this just a routine thing to say that they are providing comms for a customer (the rest of the riders on the sat?) or are they doing experiments themselves? Best place to discuss this is?
Quote from: Lar on 02/07/2019 07:09 pmWhat are they doing with this? Is this just a routine thing to say that they are providing comms for a customer (the rest of the riders on the sat?) or are they doing experiments themselves? Best place to discuss this is?It's for communication between MiniCarb and the Iridium network. Iridium has a license for communications between their space stations (satellites) and ground stations. They have to get STA for communications between their space stations and someone else's space stations. Orbcomm does the same thing.
Quote from: gongora on 02/07/2019 07:34 pmQuote from: Lar on 02/07/2019 07:09 pmWhat are they doing with this? Is this just a routine thing to say that they are providing comms for a customer (the rest of the riders on the sat?) or are they doing experiments themselves? Best place to discuss this is?It's for communication between MiniCarb and the Iridium network. Iridium has a license for communications between their space stations (satellites) and ground stations. They have to get STA for communications between their space stations and someone else's space stations. Orbcomm does the same thing.I got that part. What I am asking is WHY? Are they carrying out experiments on MiniCarb of their own, or are they providing comms to the other riders on it (This cubesat has multiple payloads I thought)The latter actually is more significant to me, I think (but I may be declued) because it means that experiments can be connected to and monitored via commercial networks instead of dedicated dishes that have to talk directly to them. A non DSN (since it's not deep space) DSN.
Richard Branson: Virgin Orbit could replace satellites for the Air Force in 24 hours * "If satellites got lost in any conflict in the future, God forbid, we're about the only company in the world that could replace them in 24 hours," Branson said in an interview with CNBC's Morgan Brennan. * Branson met with Air Force leadership two weeks ago to discuss the capabilities of Virgin Orbit, which is building small rockets. * He added that the military wouldn't "have to wait 6 months for a land-based rocket to take off" if it needs to replace a satellite.
virgin.orbit Telling stories about the #virginorbit launch sequence, through our special edition comic book “The Virgin Orbit Chronicles, Episode 1: Opening Space Access” - edition of 1000 #comics #spaceforeveryone
QuoteRichard Branson: Virgin Orbit could replace satellites for the Air Force in 24 hours * "If satellites got lost in any conflict in the future, God forbid, we're about the only company in the world that could replace them in 24 hours," Branson said in an interview with CNBC's Morgan Brennan. * Branson met with Air Force leadership two weeks ago to discuss the capabilities of Virgin Orbit, which is building small rockets. * He added that the military wouldn't "have to wait 6 months for a land-based rocket to take off" if it needs to replace a satellite.https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/richard-branson-virgin-orbit-could-replace-air-force-satellites-in-24-hours.html
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 02/14/2019 04:42 pmQuoteRichard Branson: Virgin Orbit could replace satellites for the Air Force in 24 hours * "If satellites got lost in any conflict in the future, God forbid, we're about the only company in the world that could replace them in 24 hours," Branson said in an interview with CNBC's Morgan Brennan. * Branson met with Air Force leadership two weeks ago to discuss the capabilities of Virgin Orbit, which is building small rockets. * He added that the military wouldn't "have to wait 6 months for a land-based rocket to take off" if it needs to replace a satellite.https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/richard-branson-virgin-orbit-could-replace-air-force-satellites-in-24-hours.htmlAt present, his mouth is writing checks his company can't cash. Maybe someday. However I suspect by the time his company is capable of launching on that short notice.. .several others including RocketLabs, Blue, and SpaceX will be able to as well. Well maybe not Blue. Although they eventually will too.
To turn the S-Band Transmitter ON at the requested Airports for RF checkouts and Airspaces for Captive Carry and Drop Test. The purpose of the experiment is, 1. Receive Telemetry data from Launcher One S-Band Transmitter during Launcher One drop test (Drop test rocket will not be fueled or powered). 2.Test the RF link between Launcher One S-Band telemetry transmitter and 747 aircraft S-Band receiver and receive only Long Beach Ground Station. Virgin Orbit has coordinated and shared application details with the DoD Western Area Frequency Coordinator and NTIA.
You never really appreciate the amount of infrastructure that goes into a rocket launch until you need to put it all on wheels... Here's some shots of our awesome payload integration trailer from a test run last week.
ELaNa XXDate: June 1, 2019Mission: Virgin Orbit Flight 2 LauncherOne – Mojave, California11 CubeSat Missions scheduled to be deployed* CACTUS-1 – Capitol Technology University, Laurel, Maryland* CAPE-3 – University of Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana* EXOCUBE-2 – California Polytechnic University, San Louis Obispo, California* INCA – New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico* MicroMas-2b – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lexington, Massachusetts* MiTEE – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan* PICS – Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah* PolarCube – University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado* Q-PACE – University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida* RadFXSat-2 – Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee* TechEdSat-7 – NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett, California
I have a simple question about air-launch. A lot of air-launch rocket projects were/are solid-fuel, not liquid, because of the risk of propellant slosh. Is it an issue for LauncherOne ? the rocket is not that big, still, twenty tons of liquid oxygen and kerosene must be a little shaken when the 747 drops the rocket... Stratolaunch (currently vaporware) rocket could be ten times heavy at 250 mt. I suppose that propellant slosh would be a major issue, at such size ? early concepts were solid-fuel, although there rumour about a Falcon 5... same propellants as LauncherOne, LOX/kerosene. I'm a little confused.
Quote from: libra on 03/17/2019 03:23 pmI have a simple question about air-launch. A lot of air-launch rocket projects were/are solid-fuel, not liquid, because of the risk of propellant slosh. Is it an issue for LauncherOne ? the rocket is not that big, still, twenty tons of liquid oxygen and kerosene must be a little shaken when the 747 drops the rocket... Stratolaunch (currently vaporware) rocket could be ten times heavy at 250 mt. I suppose that propellant slosh would be a major issue, at such size ? early concepts were solid-fuel, although there rumour about a Falcon 5... same propellants as LauncherOne, LOX/kerosene. I'm a little confused. We addressed the slosh issue at AirLaunch a dozen years go – since the tanks are essentially full at drop, slosh really doesn't happen. Every vehicle is different, however, and I don't know how VG directly address topping and final fill. In simulations we dropped fully topped off with essentially no ullage.
