Apparently the problem with NROL-108 will take longer to resolve than expected.As a result B1051.7 will launch SXM-7 instead of a Starlink mission as there is now a sufficient gap. The next flight after that will tentatively be NROL-108 on B1059.5 if the issues are resolved, then Turksat 5A on B1060.4 in late December/early January.
Quote from: gongora on 12/01/2020 06:57 pmYou state a lot of assumptions like they're facts.Should be confirmation soon from the usual sources.
You state a lot of assumptions like they're facts.
Quote from: Jansen on 12/01/2020 06:42 pmApparently the problem with NROL-108 will take longer to resolve than expected.As a result B1051.7 will launch SXM-7 instead of a Starlink mission as there is now a sufficient gap. The next flight after that will tentatively be NROL-108 on B1059.5 if the issues are resolved, then Turksat 5A on B1060.4 in late December/early January.NRO payload issues can days or years long. It makes sense to move on with the busy manifest, fly the booster and start the next processing cycle as soon as possible.
However, 1060.4 may be assigned to another payload that isn't stuck on the other side of an ocean (for the time being/until alternate transportation is arranged for Turksat 5A).
Quote from: zubenelgenubi on 12/03/2020 04:27 amHowever, 1060.4 may be assigned to another payload that isn't stuck on the other side of an ocean (for the time being/until alternate transportation is arranged for Turksat 5A).This could be a "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade" opportunity for SpaceX to launch another gaggle of Starlinks from Canaveral/KSC before the end of December, on B1060.4.
In the CRS-21 briefing Kenny Todd mentioned nine Cargo Dragon 2 flights on contract. I don't recall any official announcement of flights past the first six, but more were expected to be added.
https://www.anchoragepress.com/news/new-telecom-satellite-for-alaska-on-schedule-for-launch-next-summer-will-provide-broadband-high/article_3c355424-0dad-11eb-8f93-0feaade192f0.htmlQuoteA new communications satellite dedicated to Alaska is set for its launch next summer. It will provide affordable broadband service across the state, said Chuck Schumann, CEO of Alaska-based Pacific DataPort Inc.It will also provide improved satellite access. Existing satellites that provide service to Alaska are in more southern latitudes so that they serve most of the state including Anchorage from very low angles.That means the Chugach Mountains and trees around homes frequently block access.The Aurora 4A satellite, the first of two planned by Pacific DataPort, will roar into space atop a SpaceEx Falcon Heavy rocket from the SpaceEx commercial launch facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida.Schumann said the satellite will be placed into orbit by “direct entry,” a space industry term for a direct launch to geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the earth. The usual procedure, he said, is to lift a geosynchronous satellite to its high orbit in several stages, a procedure that can take up to four months....The Aurora 4A satellite will also be one of the first compact high-capacity satellites to be put in geosynchronous orbit typically at an altitude of 22,000 miles above the earth. Once in position, the Aurora 4A and Aurora IV, the second satellite that will follow the first, will be able to reach all parts of the state including areas off Alaska’s Arctic coast to a distance of several hundred miles offshore....Two satellites are being launched so that there is a backup in case one malfunctions. Aurora 4-A is smaller and is being launched first so the Pacific DataPort can establish contracts with customers and secure revenue while the launch of the larger Aurora IV is being planned.The first satellite, Aurora 4A, will have a capacity of 7.5 gigabytes per second, while the second satellite, Aurora IV, will have a capacity of 70 gigabytes per second. This is the speed at which data can be processed.The current schedule calls for Aurora IV, which with more advanced service, to be put in orbit in about three years, but the second satellite requires more investment than the first and financing, from private sources, is still being raised. Aurora IV could be launched sooner if public investment could be obtained to supplement private funds. The money could come from federal COVID-19 impact funds if Congress passes a new COVID-19 economic stimulus plan, or other state of federal sources. An argument can be made for a degree of public funding because the Aurora satellites will improve broadband access, and at lower costs, for rural health facilities as well as on-line learning in schools.
A new communications satellite dedicated to Alaska is set for its launch next summer. It will provide affordable broadband service across the state, said Chuck Schumann, CEO of Alaska-based Pacific DataPort Inc.It will also provide improved satellite access. Existing satellites that provide service to Alaska are in more southern latitudes so that they serve most of the state including Anchorage from very low angles.That means the Chugach Mountains and trees around homes frequently block access.The Aurora 4A satellite, the first of two planned by Pacific DataPort, will roar into space atop a SpaceEx Falcon Heavy rocket from the SpaceEx commercial launch facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida.Schumann said the satellite will be placed into orbit by “direct entry,” a space industry term for a direct launch to geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the earth. The usual procedure, he said, is to lift a geosynchronous satellite to its high orbit in several stages, a procedure that can take up to four months....The Aurora 4A satellite will also be one of the first compact high-capacity satellites to be put in geosynchronous orbit typically at an altitude of 22,000 miles above the earth. Once in position, the Aurora 4A and Aurora IV, the second satellite that will follow the first, will be able to reach all parts of the state including areas off Alaska’s Arctic coast to a distance of several hundred miles offshore....Two satellites are being launched so that there is a backup in case one malfunctions. Aurora 4-A is smaller and is being launched first so the Pacific DataPort can establish contracts with customers and secure revenue while the launch of the larger Aurora IV is being planned.The first satellite, Aurora 4A, will have a capacity of 7.5 gigabytes per second, while the second satellite, Aurora IV, will have a capacity of 70 gigabytes per second. This is the speed at which data can be processed.The current schedule calls for Aurora IV, which with more advanced service, to be put in orbit in about three years, but the second satellite requires more investment than the first and financing, from private sources, is still being raised. Aurora IV could be launched sooner if public investment could be obtained to supplement private funds. The money could come from federal COVID-19 impact funds if Congress passes a new COVID-19 economic stimulus plan, or other state of federal sources. An argument can be made for a degree of public funding because the Aurora satellites will improve broadband access, and at lower costs, for rural health facilities as well as on-line learning in schools.
This seems strange to me. I'm guessing there is a mistake in the article?Previous announcement about this satellite said it would launch on a shared Falcon 9 in late 2020. Now this article says it's actually launching on an FH to GEO in the summer of 2021. Is there some FH launch we don't know about, or is the sat hitching a ride on USSF-44 which is the only FH GEO launch around that timeframe? Neither of those seem likely to me...
In the other hand, if they could bring down the time between two launches from some 50, 60 days to some 35 days, it will make the actual fleet enough.
