SpaceX Falcon 9 : GPS III SV04 : SLC-40 : November 5, 2020

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1324780144326856704

According to tracking it appears the technicians secured B1062 on the deck of OCISLY this morning and were underway by 10:00 am. With Eta being unpredictable they are heading towards the coast before going south. #SpaceXFleet

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1325063708624687107

Fleet update: Unpredictable is the word of the day. OCISLY/Finn and Quest are slogging through weather heading west. @NOAA bouy 41008 gives an idea of wave height around 5.6 ft at intervals of 9 seconds. Ms. Chief has not pinged so anyone's guess where they are. #SpaceXFleet

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1325114633963905024

Ms. Chief is now arriving at Port Canaveral. Hopefully, the ship is carrying two fairing halves recovered during the GPS mission.

Watch live on fleetcam shortly:

[AC in NC]

11:48am ...

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1325120818720944129

Take a break from counting ballots and count fairing halves with the @NASASpaceflight Fleetcam. I spy two scooped fairing halves and a ship full of Mischief safely home. #SpaceXFleet

24/7 Stream: youtu.be/gnt2wZBg89g

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/trevormahlmann/status/1325146830393532418

93.4 megapixel panorama (5,858x15,936 px) of a fairing half from GPS-III SV04🇺🇸
Looks like it is in pretty good shape. Cool to see the noise/vibration insulation paneling they use on non-starlink missions🚀 (+ a peek at the level of detail)

⚙️/⬇️/🖼: tmahlmann.com/photos/Rockets…

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1325179680157175811

OCISLY droneship and B1062.1 are hugging the coastline, trying to dodge the worst of some bad weather.

ETA to Port Canaveral is *roughly* Monday evening or Tuesday daytime.

[jcm]

The members-only website Cloudy Nights has extensive discussion from several observers in North America who noticed the spiral about two and a half  hours after launch. With respect to the owner's copyright, here's one image and his note:

This link may work on a different browser....

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/738438-what-did-i-just-see/?fbclid=IwAR3G4yzhOynB27kHRI5daaDkzLWCb92h1QSrl8VzeA3Kkq_EQajl4C5nBrA#entry10636033 

Eddgie [observer]:  "My video was done at 7:41 PM CST. so if launch was 6:24 PM EST, that would have made liftoff at 5:24 PM CST and the recording would be 2 hours and 35 minutes after launch."
 

The second stage was not cataloged, so it was definitely deorbited. A burn around 0140 UTC is consistent with reentry of stage 2 in the southwestern Indian Ocean around 0610 UTC.

[zubenelgenubi]

There's a post from Newton_V somewhere on the forum regarding national security launches: there must be a disposal plan executed for upper stages.  De-orbit, graveyard orbit, etc.

[LouScheffer]

There's a post from Newton_V somewhere on the forum regarding national security launches: there must be a disposal plan executed for upper stages.  De-orbit, graveyard orbit, etc.

Even more directly, the Federal Register says all government procurred launches must meet the U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP).  From this document:

The ODMSP apply to missions operated or procured by U.S. government agencies

However, the mission would have met these guidelines (I believe) even without the re-entry burn, as the 400 km perigee would have resulted in re-entry in about a year, well under the 25 year limit.

[Herb Schaltegger]

There's a post from Newton_V somewhere on the forum regarding national security launches: there must be a disposal plan executed for upper stages.  De-orbit, graveyard orbit, etc.

Even more directly, the Federal Register says all government procurred launches must meet the U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP).  From this document:

Just to be clear, the Federal Register itself has no formal regulatory authority; it is merely formal documentation of activities of Federal government agencies for record-keeping purposes. The site you give merely gives notice that the Agency has adopted a new or revised final rule. The actual regulations at issue, referred to in the link above, are FCC regulations codified at 47 CFR Part 25, Sections 25.271 et seq. This is a reference the Code of Federal Regulations, where all administrative rules and regulations expounded by the Federal government are recorded. Specifically, these are FCC rules for technical operations regarding end-of-life disposal operations of transmitting “space stations.”

See, e.g.:  https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=828518befa7656672a0c937ff9792eb9&mc=true&node=pt47.2.25&rgn=div5

[LouScheffer]

Just to be clear, the Federal Register itself has no formal regulatory authority; it is merely formal documentation of activities of Federal government agencies for record-keeping purposes.

Perfectly true.  However, the National Space Policy says the same:

For the purposes of minimizing debris and preserving the space environment for the responsible, peaceful, and safe use of all users, the United States shall:
[...]
• Continue to follow the United States Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, consistent with mission requirements and cost effectiveness, in the procurement and operation of spacecraft, launch services, and the conduct of tests and experiments in space;
[...]
• Require the head of the sponsoring department or agency to approve exceptions to the United States Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and notify the Secretary of State.

So unless they got a waiver, SpaceX and the Air Force were required to follow the ODMSP.

[Herb Schaltegger]

So unless they got a waiver, SpaceX and the Air Force were required to follow the ODMSP.

My clarification was not with the substance of your post, merely your citation to authority. The Federal Register is the not the authority. The Code of Federal Regulations is the authority.

[WannaWalnetto]

https://twitter.com/spacexfleet/status/1325179680157175811

OCISLY droneship and B1062.1 are hugging the coastline, trying to dodge the worst of some bad weather.

ETA to Port Canaveral is *roughly* Monday evening or Tuesday daytime.

This is somewhat old news, but I haven’t seen the usual updates about the booster in this thread.  B1062 is still not back, but is expected to arrive on Thursday, Florida time.

https://twitter.com/SpaceXFleet/status/1326620020856811522

It’s that time of the day again... Of Course I Still Love You droneship will not be arriving at Port Canaveral today.  The droneship would have to be visible on terrestrial tracking by now to arrival before dusk today.

Arrival is now NET 7am ET tomorrow, Thursday 12th November.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Now arriving, via NSF Fleetcam

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/julia_bergeron/status/1326892423616876544

[wannamoonbase]

Thank you for the pictures and the work that you and others do to keep us informed of what’s going on at the port.  I love seeing the fairings and boosters come home.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

After only one flight still looks too clean!

https://twitter.com/thefavoritist/status/1326910956081991683

B1062.1 looking fantastic in Port Canaveral this morning!

The booster arrived early this morning after launching the GPS III SV04 mission on November 5th.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/kyle_m_photo/status/1327262765946445829

The cap is on, the leg lift lines are down and there are workers at the bottom of the booster. #SpaceXFleet #SpaceX