SpaceX Falcon 9 : PAZ & Microsat 2a/2b : SLC-4E : Feb 22, 2018 : DISCUSSION

[corveroth]

Feb 17, 2018 on reused Falcon 9 (booster 1038.2) from Vandenberg.  Launch time reported as 1422 UTC, 0622 PST.

Is there enough information to hazard a guess as to the direction of flight or visibility of this launch? I caught the spectacle of the December launch down here in San Diego, and if there's a chance to see another, I'll gladly make my way out into the morning chill.

[mme]

Feb 17, 2018 on reused Falcon 9 (booster 1038.2) from Vandenberg.  Launch time reported as 1422 UTC, 0622 PST.

Is there enough information to hazard a guess as to the direction of flight or visibility of this launch? I caught the spectacle of the December launch down here in San Diego, and if there's a chance to see another, I'll gladly make my way out into the morning chill.

I doubt it's retrograde so it's launching south. Sunrise is 06:42 and I think the launch is 06:14 so it could be flying into the sunlight again.  But it won't be as dark as the December launch and it will be getting lighter rather than darker as time passes.

So maybe?

[soltasto]

They have no need or interest in disclosing any information on this program.  To many competitors and to many billions at stake.

If they get to production, hopefully they'll ramp satellite production better than Tesla has with the Model 3.

Don't they just have one competitor, OneWeb?

If successful they will be competing with Iridium, who is also one of their best customers.

...not to mention that every geostationary satellite they launch is a comm sat, and every one of those customers could also be considered a competitor to a new comm sat network.

Starlink won't be used for satellite phones and IOT applications as it would require much bigger antennas than the ones used for Iridium

[rockets4life97]

Were there any upgrades to the TEL at SLC-4E during the recent improvements?

[AncientU]

...
Multiple smaller secondary payloads will also launch on the Falcon 9 rocket.

Are there more than two Starlink test sats or additional payloads?
(Could be a strange use of multiple... like 'all two of them'.)

[deruch]

...
Multiple smaller secondary payloads will also launch on the Falcon 9 rocket.

Are there more than two Starlink test sats or additional payloads?
(Could be a strange use of multiple... like 'all two of them'.)

Or possibly there are other secondary payloads?  Since SpaceX is already going to be running a secondary mission for their Starlink sats, they might have found some cube sats that are interested in riding along?

[envy887]

...
Multiple smaller secondary payloads will also launch on the Falcon 9 rocket.

Are there more than two Starlink test sats or additional payloads?
(Could be a strange use of multiple... like 'all two of them'.)

It's intentionally obscure, like everything about Starlink. Multiple just means more than one.

[gongora]

[Ars Technica] SpaceX hits two milestones in plan for low-latency satellite broadband

The demonstration launch is confirmed in SpaceX's FCC filings. One SpaceX filing this month mentions that a secondary payload on Saturday's Falcon 9 launch will include "two experimental non-geostationary orbit satellites, Microsat-2a and -2b."

Letter from FCC filing attached.

[speedevil]

Letter from FCC filing attached.

Handily answering the above speculation if there are >2.

[gongora]

There are 2 of the SpaceX sats.  That wouldn't necessarily preclude other small sats going along for the ride (although I haven't heard of any).

[matthewkantar]

If the ride share satellites are going to communicate, they will need FCC licenses. They can be referred to as a couple, a few or a whole passle of satellites, we will know them but their licenses.

Matthew

[speedevil]

If the ride share satellites are going to communicate, they will need FCC licenses.

If by radio.
Otherwise, they'd need licences specifying their orbits.

[deruch]

If the ride share satellites are going to communicate, they will need FCC licenses. They can be referred to as a couple, a few or a whole passle of satellites, we will know them but their licenses.

Matthew

Of course, but there's no reason why anyone would know or be able to tell them from AdamSats.  The only reason we know about the MicroSats is because the experimental license for them was applied for by SpaceX [which was a term/applicant being searched for already on the FCC search page].  But for 3rd party payloads, SpaceX wouldn't be the applicant.  In fact, the operator might not be applying at all (neither for an experimental license nor an STA) if they are making use of an amateur radio operator license (requires notification only).  Conversely, they could also apply as if it was a full sized satellite under the FCC's Part 25 rules.  In which case it would be through the International Bureau instead of the OET (Office of Engineering and Technology; an entirely different division of the FCC), and the search page that most normally use to stalk SpaceX filings wouldn't even return those results whether SpaceX was named or not, etc.  All of which is just to say that trying to determine whether there are additional rideshare sats on board based on a presumption of knowledge of FCC filings/licenses is a mistake.


FCC's GUIDANCE ON OBTAINING LICENSES FOR SMALL SATELLITES- https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-13-445A1.pdf

[Lars-J]

I see the press kit is out (see update thread) - and not a single mention of the SpaceX prototype satellites. The are really trying to play this close to the vest. I wonder how much or little they will say about in the webcast...

[StuffOfInterest]

From the update thread, it looks like this is another launch that will have daylight on the rocket while it is still dark on the ground.  Considering what happened the last time this condition was present, I wonder how many traffic accidents there will be and how many people try to sue SpaceX for crashing into someone (or being crashed into) while drivers are paying more attention to the rocket plume than the car in front of them.

[woods170]

I see the press kit is out (see update thread) - and not a single mention of the SpaceX prototype satellites. The are really trying to play this close to the vest. I wonder how much or little they will say about in the webcast...

PAZ is the primary mission.
Those piggyback payloads have a lot riding on them. No need to reveal anything to the competition if you don't have to.

[ZachS09]

By the looks of the patch on the press kit, it seems that Core B1038 will make like B1036 from the Iridium-NEXT F4 mission and attempt a soft landing in the Pacific, given that there are grid fins on the interstage.

[Joffan]

By the looks of the patch on the press kit, it seems like Core B1038 will make like B1036 from the Iridium-NEXT F4 mission and attempt a soft landing in the Pacific, given that there are grid fins on the interstage.

Pretty smudgy depiction of grid fins... almost like the artist wasn't sure ;-)

But do we in fact have confirmation of the flight hardware, regarding legs and fins?

[ZachS09]

It is confirmed that B1038 will be legless.

[John Alan]

Lets just hope they don't end up with another floater...