...There are no cores available for so many launches in July/August. The only way I can see this happening is reactivating and conversion of FH side cores 1052 and 1053. Or a very bold move into super rapid turnaround in the range of weeks instead of months (as it is right now: >68 days)Interesting times.
Quote from: Jakusb on 06/10/2020 07:33 am...There are no cores available for so many launches in July/August. The only way I can see this happening is reactivating and conversion of FH side cores 1052 and 1053. Or a very bold move into super rapid turnaround in the range of weeks instead of months (as it is right now: >68 days)Interesting times.Someone from SpaceX (Shotwell if memory serves) said in a recent interview that refurbishment costs ~$1 million and takes "weeks". So, clearly, time-between-uses and refurbishment-time are not the same thing (which is kind of obvious if you think about it). We'll know soon enough.
Quote from: Arb on 06/10/2020 11:25 amQuote from: Jakusb on 06/10/2020 07:33 am...There are no cores available for so many launches in July/August. The only way I can see this happening is reactivating and conversion of FH side cores 1052 and 1053. Or a very bold move into super rapid turnaround in the range of weeks instead of months (as it is right now: >68 days)Interesting times.Someone from SpaceX (Shotwell if memory serves) said in a recent interview that refurbishment costs ~$1 million and takes "weeks". So, clearly, time-between-uses and refurbishment-time are not the same thing (which is kind of obvious if you think about it). We'll know soon enough.Elon said two weeks ago that refurbishment only costs 250 thousand dollars (and he might have included fairing refurbishment).
SPACEFLIGHT INC. SIGNS MULTI-LAUNCH AGREEMENT WITH SPACEX FOR RIDESHARE SERVICESBy Jodi SorensenJUNE 17, 2020New MLA secures launch capacity, delivers end-to-end mission management services, and lowers costs for upcoming rideshare launchesSEATTLE – June 17, 2020 — Spaceflight Inc., the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, today announced it inked an agreement with SpaceX to secure rideshare capacity on multiple launches. This agreement between the two companies secures Spaceflight capacity to launch manifest payloads on several SpaceX launches through the end of 2021, providing launch schedule assurance to smallsat customers needing frequent, reliable, and cost-effective launches to Sun-synchronous orbit. “By offering a variety of launch options, we can better meet our customer’s specific launch needs and offer increased launch flexibility,” said Curt Blake, president and CEO of Spaceflight. “This agreement with SpaceX will be particularly attractive to smallsat customers. SpaceX’s consistent launch schedule coupled with our deep expertise in mission management and integration services offers rideshare options with greater reliability. This agreement will allow us to package multiple payloads onto a single port to significantly reduce the cost per spacecraft for the end-customer.” According to a recent research study by Bryce Space and Technology, delays are commonplace throughout the launch industry. “Launch delays are inevitable and are typically out of the control of rideshare customers. In order to offer launch flexibility and minimize the impact of significant delays, it’s critical to have capacity on a wide range of launches to easily re-manifest customers from one launch to another,” said Devon Papandrew, vice president of business operations at Spaceflight. “Having this guaranteed capacity with SpaceX improves our customers’ odds of getting on orbit when they need to and helps us ensure flights are as full as possible, lowering costs for all and minimizing environmental impacts.”The agreement builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies. Spaceflight and SpaceX have partnered for several industry firsts, including SSO-A, the first dedicated rideshare mission with 64 smallsats aboard a Falcon 9 in December 2018. Additionally, Spaceflight and SpaceX teamed up on the first-ever rideshare mission to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit carrying a commercial lunar lander in February 2019. Spaceflight also announced today it will launch two rideshare payloads aboard SpaceX’s tenth Starlink mission, marking the first SpaceX Starlink mission that will be accompanied by Spaceflight rideshare payloads. “Spaceflight is one of the most experienced companies offering mission management and integration services for smallsat operators, and we are proud to offer their customers the best launch solution on the market,” says SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero. “Together, Spaceflight and SpaceX are providing small satellite operators access to space in the most reliable and cost-effective way possible.”Spaceflight works with a large portfolio of launch vehicles, including Falcon 9, Antares, Electron, Vega, and PSLV, to provide a variety of launch options to its customers. The company has launched more than 270 satellites across nearly 30 rideshare missions. In 2019, the company successfully executed nine missions, the most it’s ever launched in one year, sending more than 50 payloads to space.###
Also from the CNBC article:Quote The company [VG] also said that it would seek to buy seats on flights to the space stationMore customers for SpaceX?
The company [VG] also said that it would seek to buy seats on flights to the space station
I miss the good ol' days of 2018 We have, what, 17 more on the Manifest for the next half year?Could put the pace near the previous peak.
My 5 cents on the Q3-2020 schedule.Right now SpaceX has 5 boosters in the fleet; the fastest demonstrated turnaround for booster is 63 days.If this turnaround close to the limit, then we would see just one launch in July (Starlink F10). The other cores would not be ready by the end of July.However, we hear on launch of Anasis II planned for Jul 13. And there is a guess it will use B1058 core.If this turns out true then the minimum turnaround is about 40-45 days.In this case we could expect up to 4 launches in July and 3 more in August. (this is of course upper limit)The attached graph illustrates the "booster flow".
"ESA also was able to acquire an additional mission to the International Space Station in 2021 for the first flight of ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer. Details of that mission are yet to be established, but for now Matthias is training as the backup for Thomas." https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Thomas_Pesquet_first_ESA_astronaut_to_ride_a_Dragon_to_spaceDoes this meant that crew dragon will fly in USCV-3 too? Mathias is currently training on crew dragon, it is logical to assume that he will fly on dragon in september 2021 (if crew-2 will fly in march)... but what about starliner?
SAN FRANCISCO – Swarm Technologies is working with Exolaunch of Germany to send 24 SpaceBee satellites into orbit on the SpaceX Falcon 9 small satellite rideshare mission scheduled to launch in December.[...]Earlier this year, Exolaunch announced an agreement with SpaceX to send multiple small satellites into orbit on the December rideshare flight.
Luxembourg-based satellite telecommunications company SES announces launch contracts with both SpaceX and ULA:Two C-band satellites launching in 2022 on an Atlas V rocketUp to three C-band satellites launching in 2022 on two Falcon 9 rockets
SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell: "SES is one of SpaceX‘s most-valued partners, and we are proud of their continued trust in our capabilities to reliably deliver their satellites to orbit. We are excited to once again play a role in executing SES’s solutions.”
This is should be either SES-17 + SES-18, or SES-19 + SES-20. Launch date Q3 2020. (Source)Not sure about the third satellite.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch two C-band satellites built by Northrop Grumman as well as provide enhanced protection to rapidly launch a contingency satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2022 allowing SES to meet the Federal Communications Commission’s time-critical objective to roll out 5G services across the United States.
