SpaceX F9 : Galileo L12 : KSC LC-39A : 27/28 April 2024 (00:34 UTC)

[GewoonLukas_]

USN seeks authority to support Tracking operations for the Galileo L12 spacecrafts (GSAT0225 & GSAT0227) scheduled for launch on April 1st 2024

So that means that FM25 and FM27 will be aboard rather then FM25 & FM26?

[PM3]

ESA is still working on finalizing the launch contract with SpaceX. In the ESA press conference on Thursday last week, they said "this decision is expected to come very soon". From past reports on this topic, my impression was that the export license for the satellites is the main issue.

April 2024 is NOT a schedule, but the aspired launch month as of December 2023.

[GWR64]

Another FCC filing for LEOP support
SES-STA-20231222-02564
RAAN: ~123.68 deg. , fits approximately to orbit plane C
...

Amendment from January 15th:

Universal Space Network Amendment to SES-STA-20231222-02564 Galileo L12 spacecraft
SSC Space US (dba Universal Space Network) requests an update to the above-captioned file no for
Galileo L12 spacecraft. We respectfully request the STA mission duration to be changed from 30
days to 60 days and start date to change from April 1st to April 22nd 2024 to support LEOP
operations.

[GWR64]

Back to 30 days STA, Universal Space Network explains why. I didn't get it.
But April 22nd remains.

Universal Space Network Amendment to SES-STA-20231222-02564 Galileo L12 spacecraft LEOP Support

SSC Space US (dba Universal Space Network) requests an update to the above-captioned file no.
for Galileo L12 spacecraft. We respectfully request the STA mission duration to be changed again
from 60 days to 30 days and Use Prior to Grant / Requested User Prior Date of April 14th 2024.
Start date remains same April 22nd 2024.
We apologize for the inconvenience! The reason for this amendment is client's need of longer User
Prior Date. The 2nd reason is recent delays in STA grants, a 60-days STA grant could cause more
delay than a 30-days one.

[nzguy]

Somehow I didn't spot the news about Galileo program switching to Falcon 9!

I went to look up when next Galileo launch for Ariane 6 was scheduled now that it's first launch has a date when I found out...

Too bad they didn't switch this 2 years ago when Russia pulled the plug on Soyuz.

Hopefully no more Galileo satellites break down until this launch and the future Ariane 6 launches get some spare satellites on orbit.

I have been waiting since 2018 for the Galileo constellation to be completed and launch of Full Operational Capabilities...

[GWR64]

ESA is still working on finalizing the launch contract with SpaceX. In the ESA press conference on Thursday last week, they said "this decision is expected to come very soon". From past reports on this topic, my impression was that the export license for the satellites is the main issue.

April 2024 is NOT a schedule, but the aspired launch month as of December 2023.

This is a proposal from February 23rd. I don't know if something has already been decided, it was the weekend in between.

Proposal for a

COUNCIL DECISION

on the signing, on behalf of the Union, and provisional application of the Agreement between the European Union, of the one part, and the United States of America, of the other part, setting forth Security Procedures for the Launch of Galileo satellites from U.S. territory
...

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52024PC0086

[GWR64]

The test transmissions with GSAT0102 and GSAT0104 appear to be completed. See the attachment in opening post.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=60096.msg2551815#msg2551815

It was obviously the last task of the partially defective GSAT0104, which is now to be decommissioned.
https://www.gsc-europa.eu/notice-advisory-to-galileo-users-nagu-2024015

No news about the launch itself?

[StraumliBlight]

EU agrees US deal to launch satellites with Elon Musk’s SpaceX
[Mar 19]

The European Union on Tuesday signed off on the terms of a security deal with the United States that will allow it to pay Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch its satellites.
...
The security deal is due to be formally signed with the U.S. next week and the plan is to ship the Galileo satellites, each weighing roughly 700 kilograms, to the U.S. on March 27, one diplomat said.

The first launch of two satellites would then take place in the second half of April with the second launch scheduled for July, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton previously told POLITICO.
...
To assuage fears from some countries — notably France — that it could become commonplace to launch satellites using SpaceX rather than Ariane, the security pact will expire in 2027.

[Zed_Noir]

<snip>

The European Union on Tuesday signed off on the terms of a security deal with the United States that will allow it to pay Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch its satellites.
<snip>
To assuage fears from some countries — notably France — that it could become commonplace to launch satellites using SpaceX rather than Ariane, the security pact will expire in 2027.

Certain European countries should have no fear that SpaceX will get EU space launches contracts routinely. If the Ariane 6 comes online as scheduled and launch cadence ramps up. Otherwise launch customers will have no choice but to considered other launch options for getting payloads to orbit in a timely manner.

[GewoonLukas_]

ESA personnel is in Cape Canaveral to support the launch:

Although I can’t post much, I’m here to say that being able to see the VAB from your hotel room and an F9 launch from only ~2.5 km away is rather special and I feel incredibly lucky I get to do all this.

https://twitter.com/DutchSpace/status/1772587220643246097

[GWR64]

EU agrees US deal to launch satellites with Elon Musk’s SpaceX
[Mar 19]

The European Union on Tuesday signed off on the terms of a security deal with the United States that will allow it to pay Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch its satellites.
...
The security deal is due to be formally signed with the U.S. next week and the plan is to ship the Galileo satellites, each weighing roughly 700 kilograms, to the U.S. on March 27, one diplomat said.

The first launch of two satellites would then take place in the second half of April with the second launch scheduled for July, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton previously told POLITICO.
...
To assuage fears from some countries — notably France — that it could become commonplace to launch satellites using SpaceX rather than Ariane, the security pact will expire in 2027.

Have the satellites arrived in Florida in the meantime?
The only suitable flight I found is a Boeing 747 Cargo from Hannover to the Launch and Landing Facility at KSC.
Why Hannover? I have no idea 

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/n8857
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n702ca

[Jester]

They have arrived safely

[zubenelgenubi]

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated later March 31 UTC; my bold:

The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 2:15-6:15 a.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 7:17 p.m. EDT. The first stage will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch two Galileo navigation system satellites for Europe on late April.

[GWR64]

USN has sent 3 more additions to SES-STA-20231222-02564 to the FCC on March 28th.
They contain general information about the mission. I think it's rather unimportant for the FCC.
Maybe someone here would like to read it.

[GWR64]

Another FCC filing for LEOP support
SES-STA-20231222-02564
RAAN: ~123.68 deg. , fits approximately to orbit plane C
...

grant

Special Temporary Authority
1 of 2
Applicant: Universal Space Network, Inc.
Call Sign: N/A
File No.: SES-STA-20231222-02564
Universal Space Network, Inc. (“USN”), is granted a 30-day special temporary authority (STA),
commencing April 14, 2024, through May 13, 2024, to operate two antennas at its fixed earth station
located at geographical coordinates 19° 0’ 50.3” N, 155° 39’ 46.6” W in Naalehu, HI to provide launch
and early orbit phase (LEOP) support of the Galileo L12 satellites (GSAT0225 and GSAT0227),
operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Operations will be performed at the following
frequencies: 2040.399075 MHz and 2051.703225 MHz with an emission bandwidth of 2.6 MHz
(Earth-to-space) and 2215.818000 MHz and 2228.094000 MHz with an emission bandwidth of 3 MHz
(space-to-Earth) under the following conditions:
...

[zubenelgenubi]

No change in Ben Cooper's information, but this launch should be coming up soon:
Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated April 11; my bold:

The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 12 very earliest at 9:22 p.m. to 12:48 a.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 39A on April 17 at 5:24-9:24 p.m. EDT. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch two Galileo navigation system satellites for Europe on late April. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches.

Edit April 13: Starlink 6-52 launches before this Galileo pair.

Edit April 15: Starlink 6-53 launches before this launch.

[jedijeff123]

Do we know if this will be an RTLS or droneship landing?

[rocketenthusiast]

i dont think it can be RTLS because its going direct to MEO and weighs like 1.5 tons and O3b was like 3 to a much lower MEO transfer and was among the highest performance mission

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post; third option is expendable:

0463-EX-ST-2024  Mission 2017
Expendable from Florida, NET April [16]

Mission number is quite high...GSAT-20/GSAT-N2 going to a higher orbit?

Or the first Galileo launch on F9 as I've yet to see any permits with the droneship located along a northeast launch trajectory.

If expendable, which first stage is most likely to be chosen?  B1060.20?  It's currently the oldest and heading into its twentieth launch.

>>>
Which first stage will be used for this launch?
(semi-rhetorical question)

Falcon 9 first stages are now apparently cleared for use up to twenty times for non-crewed launches, although that number is apparently more restricted for Cargo Dragon or Cygnus than these other payloads.

1064.6 and 1065.6 are the Falcon Heavy side boosters for Europa Clipper.  1072.1 and 1086.1 are assigned as the Falcon Heavy side boosters for GOES-U.

1073.15 and 1076.13 may undergo modifications to become Falcon Heavy side boosters for a future launch, but both are currently available for "single-stick" launches.

Available first stages, with UTC date of most recent recovery:
1077.12  Mar 10 Starlink 6-51
1080.7    Mar 21 Starlink 6-52
1060.20  Mar 24
1078.9    Mar 25 Starlink 6-53
1076.13  Mar 30
1067.19  Mar 31
<<<


Possibility B1060.20 is the hypothetical expendable, but not week of Sunday March 14?:

Another F9 (either 1060 or 1061) will fly for the 20th time next week.
https://twitter.com/edwards345/status/1779004912720081170

May there be many boosters hitting 20 or 30 or 50, with an unbroken success streak. Kudos to the team!

Another one next week!

Edit April 18: It's B1060.20, to be expended into the sea. 🌊 🦭 ⛵️ 🐚 🐢 🐠🦐

[rocketenthusiast]

Cross-post; third option is expendable:

If so that is a bargain for ESA 90 mil for expendable+ the extra red tape it brings

edit/gongora: trimmed quote