SpaceX F9 : Transporter-4 Rideshare : CCSFS SLC-40 : 1 April 2022 (16:24 UTC)

[zubenelgenubi]

I think it's just counting down to a placeholder of end of April, as I understand it the launch date for this mission is much much earlier than that.

Launch Photography Viewing Guide, updated March 4:

A Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch the Transporter-4 smallsat rideshare mission on early April TBD.

[zubenelgenubi]

Possible first stages for Transporter-4: 1058.12, 1060.12, 1061.7, and 1062.5, with 1049.11 as a lesser possibility.

If SpaceX chooses to use the appropriate, available first stages in order of previous launch, then 1061.7 is favored. Its previous launch and landing were on February 3.

1049.11 appears to be held for the expendable O3b triplet launch from Florida coming up.  It hasn't been used since it returned to Florida.

1052.5 may not be ready for an early April launch.

1062.5 could be held for Axiom-1.  It was last used on January 6 and has "skipped" previous Starlink launch opportunities.

1067.4 is being held for Crew-4.

1069.2 is the wildcard, as when it will return to flight is unknown, perhaps even to SpaceX as of this posting.

The disposition of 1053.3 is not public knowledge at this time.

1063.4 and 1071.2 are on the west coast (Hawthorne? or Vandenberg).

My >guess< regarding Static Fire or not would be:
No Static Fire, for either 1058.12, 1060.12, 1061.7, or 1062.5.
Static Fire for 1049.11.

Edit March 15:  It's 1061.7, so no Static Fire.

Edit March 31:  Falcon 9 transported to pad for April 1 launch; no Static Fire.

Edit April 1:  Successful launch and JRTI landing.  Now 1061.8.

[gongora]

Satellogic Announces Upcoming Launch of Five New Satellites Onboard SpaceX Transporter-4 Mission

New York, NY — March 10, 2022 – Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL), a leader in sub-meter resolution satellite imagery collection, announced today it has shipped five satellites to be launched in early Q2 from Cape Canaveral. The launch will be part of SpaceX’s Transporter-4 mission onboard the highly flight-proven Falcon 9 reusable, two-stage rocket, under SpaceX’s Rideshare program.

The upcoming launch includes the first deployment of Satellogic’s new Mark V satellite model. This new generation of satellites enhances the company’s constellation with improved cameras, radios, computers, and other subsystems compatible with all components from previous models, offering Satellogic’s customers higher quality products.

The remaining satellites are four updated NewSats Mark IV. These improved satellites contain increased onboard storage and upgrades to the propulsion and navigation systems. The enhancements include manufacturability and cost saving processes used in preparation for the start-up of Satellogic’s High-Throughout Plant in the Netherlands later this year.

“We are excited to increase our customer’s opportunities and product offering with this launch,” said Matthew Tirman, President of Satellogic North America. “The new and enhanced satellites will increase the quality of our current services and create new opportunities for our customers.”

The new Mark V model includes a new proprietary-designed multispectral camera as the primary payload that will boost image quality with 70 cm native resolution and significantly improve the Signal-to-Noise Ratio and the Dynamic Range of the images. The new satellite also increases swath by 40%, optimizing Satellogic’s constellation size while guaranteeing world remap capabilities and reducing imagery costs. The Mark V also includes a new generation of onboard computers with enhanced processing power, allowing for better operations and improved efficiency.

Satellogic’s customers have the opportunity to fly their own hardware in space onboard each NewSat Hosted Payload bay without the purchase of an entire satellite. This bay’s modular design and standard interface definition facilitate hardware integration in the company’s manufacturing plants, provide transparent operations for customers, and optimize time to orbit from contract signature to launch date.

The Mark IVs include Hosted Payloads from Satellogic’s customers and the company’s last-mile testing of future payloads, including onboard edge computing for customers who want to run their algorithms where data is generated, and future radio frequency (RF) products. With this Hosted Payload, Satellogic will begin to equip its satellites with a payload that enables its constellation to geolocate devices that emit RF signals.

This launch is part of Satellogic’s previously announced plans for 2022 and will expand Satellogic’s fleet to 22 satellites delivering high-resolution data from space. Satellogic plans to launch up to 12 additional spacecraft later this year, offering up to seven daily revisits of any point of interest, which would result in a total of 34 commercial satellites in orbit by Q1 2023. The company intends that its constellation will include over 200 satellites by 2025, providing Satellogic with the capacity to remap the entire Earth daily. By democratizing Earth Observation (“EO”) imagery, Satellogic is able to serve previously underserved verticals, and partner with US government and Dedicated Satellite Constellations customers around the world, to provide new insights into the occurrence and progression of economic activities, security risks, and natural events unfolding across the globe.

[Conexion Espacial]

Five satellites of the Argentine company Satelloic will travel in Transporter-4.https://twitter.com/Satellogic/status/1503802561081528327

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

Re: Axiom-1 on www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Guide.html [March 16]:

A Falcon 9 from pad 39A will launch four private astronauts on the Axiom-1 mission to the International Space Station on early April TBA in the early afternoon EDT.

Assuming the Artemis I rollout to LC-39B and Wet Dress Rehearsal go according to plan, the WDR will be April 3, precluding Axiom-1 launch that day.

No restrictions on SLC-40 operations re: Transporter-4?

[scr00chy]

Then, a Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch the Transporter-4 smallsat rideshare mission on April 1 at 12:24pm EDT.

http://www.launchphotography.com/Launch_Viewing_Guide.html

[GWR64]

https://exolaunch.com/news-block-50.html [March 10]

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) Awards a Launch Contract to Exolaunch for the ARCSAT Satellite

FFI's newest satellite for improving tactical communication in the Artic will be launched into orbit via Exolaunch aboard the SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter-4 mission NET April 2022
...

ARCSAT
https://publications.ffi.no/nb/item/asset/dspace:6776/FFIFakta_ARCSAT.pdf

[ZachS09]

https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6751

B1061 will be the booster for Transporter-4, flying for the seventh time.

[lenny97]

D-Orbit Announces Upcoming Launch of SPACELUST, its Fifth ION Satellite Carrier Mission.


https://twitter.com/D_Orbit/status/1505896794319986695

[Gdbarrett]

It sounds like Spaceflight's Sherpa is not flying on this mission?
https://spacenews.com/spacex-severs-ties-with-spaceflight/

“Sherpa itself was subjected to all expected launch environments with industry standard factors,” Sorensen said by email. “Spaceflight and SpaceX continued to discuss analysis and test products up until Spaceflight was informed that SpaceX would not fly the vehicle, which was the day of final integration to the SpaceX vehicle.”

[gongora]

It sounds like Spaceflight's Sherpa is not flying on this mission?
https://spacenews.com/spacex-severs-ties-with-spaceflight/

“Sherpa itself was subjected to all expected launch environments with industry standard factors,” Sorensen said by email. “Spaceflight and SpaceX continued to discuss analysis and test products up until Spaceflight was informed that SpaceX would not fly the vehicle, which was the day of final integration to the SpaceX vehicle.”

Spaceflight returned the FCC authorization for FX5 today.  This is a strange situation.

[Skyrocket]

It sounds like Spaceflight's Sherpa is not flying on this mission?
https://spacenews.com/spacex-severs-ties-with-spaceflight/

“Sherpa itself was subjected to all expected launch environments with industry standard factors,” Sorensen said by email. “Spaceflight and SpaceX continued to discuss analysis and test products up until Spaceflight was informed that SpaceX would not fly the vehicle, which was the day of final integration to the SpaceX vehicle.”

Spaceflight returned the FCC authorization for FX5 today.  This is a strange situation.

Yes, things are getting somewhat strange. I am investigating in this.

[scr00chy]

Has it been confirmed whether this will be an RTLS or ASDS landing?

[Alexphysics]

Has it been confirmed whether this will be an RTLS or ASDS landing?

Droneship is the last word

[Alexphysics]

B1061-7 on the move to the Cape ahead of launch

[alugobi]

One big boot over the engines instead of individual bells like they used to do.

[Raul]

Launch Hazard Areas for Transporter-4 SmallSat Rideshare mission based on issued NOTMARs and NOTAMs in updated map.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=1bGPw7bHxJOeYhDgOnDquoJKYF5tLH4Ix&ll=25.998976972090468%2C-79.62693256906677&z=7

Typical groundtrack estimation based on LHAs with dogleg maneuver to sun-synchronous orbit azimuth.
Planned ASDS booster 1061.7 landing 532km southwards.
Fairing halves water recovery estimation approximately 604km southwards.
Stage2 debris reentry during second orbit in Indian Ocean.

270615Z MAR 22
NAVAREA IV 303/22(11,26,27).
WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC.
STRAITS OF FLORIDA.
OLD BAHAMA CHANNEL.
FLORIDA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
   011614Z TO 011721Z APR, ALTERNATE
   1614Z TO 1721Z DAILY 02 THRU 08 APR
   IN AREAS BOUND BY:
   A. 28-35-48N 080-35-01W, 28-37-00N 080-33-00W,
      28-34-00N 080-24-00W, 28-13-00N 080-12-00W,
      28-11-00N 080-17-00W, 28-27-04N 080-31-39W,
      28-30-52N 080-33-13W.
   B. 23-18-00N 079-28-00W, 24-37-00N 079-26-00W,
      24-38-00N 079-07-00W, 23-31-00N 078-36-00W,
      23-07-00N 078-43-00W, 23-01-00N 079-08-00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 081821Z APR 22.

270639Z MAR 22
HYDROPAC 806/22(61).
INDIAN OCEAN.
ILES OF KERGUELEN.
DNC 03.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
   011828Z TO 011907Z APR, ALTERNATE
   1828Z TO 1907Z DAILY 02 THRU 08 APR
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   27-32S 065-06E, 27-31S 065-07E,
   29-25S 065-58E, 33-25S 067-03E,
   38-26S 068-26E, 43-22S 069-51E,
   47-21S 070-56E, 47-22S 070-54E,
   45-44S 069-45E, 41-31S 068-16E,
   37-21S 067-04E, 31-55S 065-49E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 082007Z APR 22.

[Rondaz]

#Transporter-4 mission LHAs from CCSFS SLC-40 NET 01 Apr 16:24 UTC, alternatively 02-08 Apr. Planned B1061.7 landing 532km downrange. estim.fairing recovery position 604km downrange with typical groundtrack to SSO azimuth. S2 reentry in Indian Ocean.

https://twitter.com/Raul74Cz/status/1508135480445087747

[OneSpeed]

Launch Hazard Areas for Transporter-4 SmallSat Rideshare mission based on issued NOTMARs and NOTAMs in updated map.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=1bGPw7bHxJOeYhDgOnDquoJKYF5tLH4Ix&ll=25.998976972090468%2C-79.62693256906677&z=7

Typical groundtrack estimation based on LHAs with dogleg maneuver to sun-synchronous orbit azimuth.
Planned ASDS booster 1061.7 landing 532km southwards.
Fairing halves water recovery estimation approximately 604km southwards.
Stage2 debris reentry during second orbit in Indian Ocean.

For the mission to be sun-synchronous, the orbital inclination needs to be slightly retrograde, at about a 98° orbital inclination. As such, I think the ground track should be more like this one from Transporter-1, which was also to SSO. Otherwise the orbital inclination doesn't line up with the second stage re-entry launch hazard area (giving a re-entry from the SSE).

[gongora]

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1508497428181266441

Payloads for our upcoming fourth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission – Transporter-4 – were encapsulated into Falcon 9’s fairing late last week. On this flight are 40 spacecraft, including cubesats, microsats, picosats, hosted payloads, and an orbital transfer vehicle