SpaceX F9 : Transporter-7 Rideshare : VSFB SLC-4E : 15 April 2023 (06:48 UTC)

[zubenelgenubi]

Launch time to the second or fraction of the second?

[abaddon]

36 deployments successfully completed. End of webcast.

Congratulations to SpaceX and all their customers for the successful launch!

... and a big thank-you to Steven and @FutureSpaceTourist for the as-always excellent coverage!  Makes a huge difference catching up in "reliving" launch rather than merely finding out the result.

[edkyle99]

Did they leave Stage 2 in that higher orbit, or did they deorbit?  Less than maybe 2 tonnes of deployed payload.  I would expect a deorbit, to prevent this thing becoming a nuisance in SSO, but then they pulled the nozzle extension.

 - Ed Kyle

[jcm]

Did they leave Stage 2 in that higher orbit, or did they deorbit?  Less than maybe 2 tonnes of deployed payload.  I would expect a deorbit, to prevent this thing becoming a nuisance in SSO, but then they pulled the nozzle extension.

 - Ed Kyle

Deorbit with entry around 1018 UTC just north of New Zealand, based on the NOTAMS

[Fmedici]

I saw that in the first post of this thread the Alba Cluster is listed as carried on ION SCV but this seems to be in conflict with the mission summary on D-Orbit's website (https://www.dorbit.space/guardian-april-2023). There it's stated that ION SVC carries 5 cubesats, 4 of which are known and one belonging to an undisclosed customer, and two hosted payloads one of which undisclosed. None of the two misterious payloads, a free-flying one and an ELINT hosted one, seems to be a match for an Alba Orbital's AlbaPod.

[gongora]

I guess Alba Orbital wasn't on this flight.

[Fmedici]

I guess Alba Orbital wasn't on this flight.

Between the Istanbul pocketqube being confirmed for June, and the ROM-2 one having been moved to that date too on Wikipedia citing a private company meeting as source maybe it's the whole cluster that was moved to the next rideshare mission.

[GewoonLukas_]

Successful launch! 🚀 We are pleased to report all four satellites have made contact with our ground station network with good health reports.

This brings our constellation total to 34 operational satellites in orbit.

https://twitter.com/Satellogic/status/1647272982455132161

[OneSpeed]

Here is a comparison of the webcast telemetry from the Transporter 6 and 7 missions.

Much has been made of the truncated vacuum engine nozzle used for the first time on the Transporter 7 mission. Several changes were made to the booster profile to make up for the loss of second stage performance.

1. T7 had a narrower v-shaped throttle bucket, reducing gravity losses.
2. After the throttle bucket, T7 ran harder, and for a couple of seconds longer, reaching 1,839m/s at MECO, vs 1,676m/s for T6.
3. The higher velocity required T7 to boostback burn for 8 seconds longer than T6. T7 also had higher acceleration, but that may be because it had less propellant on board.
4. T7 ran a 29s earlier than usual, 11s single engine re-entry burn, vs T6's 22s three engine burn.
5. T7 then relied on aerodynamics (and heating) for a 5g peak deceleration on entry, thereby saving more propellant.
6. T7 then performed a 21s three engine (briefly) landing burn, compared to T6's 35s single engine burn, again reducing gravity losses.

Because T7 flew from Vandenberg SLC-4e, it did not require a dogleg manoeuvre like the previous T1-6 missions from Cape Canaveral SLC-40. So, a direct comparison of the second stage performance is not really possible. As well, we don't know the exact payload masses. However, for what it's worth, after the dogleg, the T7 S2 does accelerate a hair less than T6.

Perhaps future missions will allow more direct comparisons.

[Targeteer]

twitter.com/spacex/status/1647130619393216514

A shorter second stage nozzle will be used when we don’t need as much performance to get the payload to its final destination

Edit to add:

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1647130733629300738

We'll still fly the full-sized MVac nozzles on missions that require a more significant amount of thrust or contain a heavier payload

For the none aeronautical engineers out there, like me, is the shorter nozzle cheaper because there is simply less material in the shorter nozzle?

[Fmedici]

Some info about It's About Time:

https://spacenews.com/trustpoint-launches-pnt-cubesat/  [Apr 15]

TrustPoint raised $2 million in 2021 for its campaign to establish a proliferated constellation in low-Earth orbit to offer global PNT data “at a fraction of the cost of a single GPS block three satellites,” Shannon said. “The team has been working to develop our core technologies, taking them from concept to prototype to demonstration and tests. This mission has been the focal point for that effort.”

With the first mission, called It’s About Time, TrustPoint will focus on testing, calibration and optimization of its payload technology. After commissioning, TrustPoint will take control of the satellite and operate it through a series of tests and demonstrations.

TrustPoint has not revealed the size of the cubesat nor the satellite manufacturer. Maverick Space Systems, a launch services provider and rideshare aggregator, supported the TrustPoint launch.

EDIT: Ok this basically confirms that this is DemoSat

[crandles57]

For the none aeronautical engineers out there, like me, is the shorter nozzle cheaper because there is simply less material in the shorter nozzle?

I am definitely not any sort of engineer.

It appeared to glow brighter and whiter so I suspect it reached higher temperature. I am wondering if shorter has better structural integrity that is less likely to deform or fail due to high temperatures. Does this allow narrower shape of nozzle (as well as shorter) that then gets hotter? Or can someone provide a better explanation of the trade offs?

Better structural integrity, of which only some used, might result is simpler, easier, faster or cheaper testing? Or maybe even simpler, easier, faster or cheaper manufacturing methods?

[OneSpeed]

For the none aeronautical engineers out there, like me, is the shorter nozzle cheaper because there is simply less material in the shorter nozzle?

Firstly, the truncated nozzle no longer requires the stiffener ring that you normally see separate a few seconds after MVac ignition, so it is simpler to produce. Secondly, the truncated nozzle may also be fabricated from a different (cheaper?) alloy than niobium, although the glow is of a similar form. Niobium is about US $45 per kilogram, so around an order of magnitude more than 301 stainless steel, for example.

[mandrewa]

For the none aeronautical engineers out there, like me, is the shorter nozzle cheaper because there is simply less material in the shorter nozzle?

I am definitely not any sort of engineer.

It appeared to glow brighter and whiter so I suspect it reached higher temperature. I am wondering if shorter has better structural integrity that is less likely to deform or fail due to high temperatures. Does this allow narrower shape of nozzle (as well as shorter) that then gets hotter? Or can someone provide a better explanation of the trade offs?

Better structural integrity, of which only some used, might result is simpler, easier, faster or cheaper testing? Or maybe even simpler, easier, faster or cheaper manufacturing methods?

Niobium alloy is a good deal cheaper than I imagined.

Quote: "Niobium is typically used in the structural steel industry, the chemical industry, or the super and master alloy industries. Currently, niobium prices range from US$45 per kilogram (US$45,000 per tonne) for standard ferroniobium metal and greater than US$50 per kilogram for niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5). Higher purity and more specialised products realise higher prices."

From https://www.globemm.com/niobium-markets

I would have guessed that it would have been roughly as expensive as platinum.  But, no, I was wrong.

The real question is what it costs to make the standard full-size Merlin vacuum engine nozzle.

[Targeteer]

https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=16&month=04&year=2023
A BLUE SPIRAL OVER ALASKA: Longtime aurora hunter Todd Salat is no stranger to fantastic displays in the night skies of Alaska. But even he was not prepared for what happened after local midnight on Saturday, April 15th.

Edit: zubenelgenubi

[Targeteer]

Did they leave Stage 2 in that higher orbit, or did they deorbit?  Less than maybe 2 tonnes of deployed payload.  I would expect a deorbit, to prevent this thing becoming a nuisance in SSO, but then they pulled the nozzle extension.

 - Ed Kyle

Deorbit with entry around 1018 UTC just north of New Zealand, based on the NOTAMS

Doesn't the apparent venting shown on the previous post mean there wasn't a re-entry?

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Higher res photos from SpaceX, including new booster landing image

[Targeteer]

https://spaceweather.com/

A BLUE SPIRAL OVER ALASKA: Longtime aurora hunter Todd Salat is no stranger to fantastic displays in the night skies of Alaska. But even he was not prepared for what happened after local midnight on Saturday, April 15th.

A post I can use...

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=759700579045448&set=a.201827154832796

AuroraHunter
  ·
MYSTERIOUS SPIRAL
This was a first! An illuminating gyre in the sky sails through the aurora and over Donnelly Dome near Delta Junction, Alaska, on April 15, 2023 at 1:54 am AKDT (9:54 UTC).

WHAT IS IT?!
After doing some online research, this phenomenon appears to be rocket engine exhaust from a SpaceX Transporter-7 mission that launched on the Falcon 9 about three hours earlier in California. Water vapor in the exhaust (or jettisoned fuel causing it to spiral?) from the second stage engine freezes and catches high-altitude sunlight, effectively glowing and creating this spiral-galaxy-looking display of light. The payload is 51 satellites and on its initial polar orbit, it did a pass-by over Alaska, stunning many night-watchers including myself. Trust me, at first, I was totally bewildered… and I kind of enjoyed that feeling of the unknown.

p.s. for pointer stars – see the Big Dipper near the top end of the spiral? “Spill out of the dipper” and the last two stars point to the North Star to the right. This really is galactic! See less

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/D_Orbit/status/1647895496453758976

🚀 On April 15th, 2023 our 10th ION Satellite Carrier, reached space on SpaceX's Transporter-7 mission. Acquisition of signal confirmed🛰️
Rewatch the launch 👉https://spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=transporter-7
Read the press release 👉🏻 https://dorbit.space/media/3/84.pdf

[gongora]

Exolaunch Flawlessly Deploys 21 Satellites on Transporter-7 Rideshare Mission

Exolaunch successfully deployed 16 CubeSats and 5 microsatellites into a sun-synchronous orbit, bringing the Company’s flight heritage to close to 300 launched satellites

Exolaunch used its record-breaking EXOpod CubeSat deployers and CarboNIX microsatellite separation systems to execute flawless satellite deployments

The manifest for this Exolaunch mission features a large number of new customers from government, academia and commercial space alongside many of the Company’s long-standing customers

Transporter-7 is the maiden flight of the Company’s EXOport Europa multi-satellite adapter, capable of mounting multiple satellites on a single launch slot

Vandenberg, California, USA / Berlin, Germany — April 15, 2023 — Exolaunch (“Exolaunch” or “the Company”), a global leader in small satellite launch services, mission management and deployment technologies has successfully deployed 21 satellites on SpaceX’s Transporter-7 mission. The mission was launched using a SpaceX Falcon 9 on April 14 at 11:48pm PT from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. This is the 19th mission in Exolaunch’s flight heritage, bringing it to a well-rounded 290 satellites launched and taking the Company ever closer to the 300 satellites milestone.

On its second Transporter mission this year, Exolaunch launched a combined mass of over 550 kilograms for multiple international customers hailing from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, Turkey, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Monaco, Lithuania, Denmark, Argentina, Colombia, the UAE and Kenya. In total, Exolaunch safely delivered 16 CubeSats and 5 microsatellites carrying various Earth observation and communication payloads into a sun-synchronous orbit above an altitude of 500 km. During the flight, all customer satellites separated seamlessly from the Falcon 9 upper stage via Exolaunch’s industry-leading EXOpod and EXOpod Nova CubeSat deployers as well as its CarboNIX microsatellite separation systems.

This mission’s manifest reflects a rapidly broadening customer base for Exolaunch. Indeed, the Company welcomed new customers from government, academia and commercial space, including Canada’s Space Flight Laboratory on behalf of the Norwegian Space Agency, TÜBİTAK UZAY, the Kenya Space Agency with SayariLabs and EnduroSat, ISILAUNCH on behalf of Orbital Solutions Monaco (OSM) and Laboratoire Athmosphères, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), the Stanford Student Space Initiative at Stanford University, Bronco Space at Cal Poly Pomona, UK-based OrbAstro for AstroForge, and the Colombian Air Force. Additionally, long-standing customers such as NewSpace power houses Spire Global, Kongsberg NanoAvionics on behalf of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and an undisclosed customer, Unseenlabs, GomSpace, EnduroSat on behalf of Sateliot, Plan-S and Satellogic successfully deployed their satellites via Exolaunch on Transporter-7.

Exolaunch fully managed the missions of all customer satellites clustered on a Falcon 9 launch port, and supplied hardware, integration, and deployment services for Satellogic on another port. All these satellites were mounted on two EXOport multi-satellite adapters, including the brand-new Europa-type which is capable of mounting no less than 6 different separation systems. Transporter-7 marks the maiden flight of the EXOport Europa on Falcon 9.

Since the beginning of SpaceX’s dedicated rideshare program in 2021, Exolaunch has been using the EXOport adapters to mount and optimally cluster satellites on a single Falcon 9 rideshare port for superior cost effectiveness. The Company will bring this extensive experience to the upcoming Rideshare Plates being introduced by SpaceX for future Transporter missions.

Exolaunch provides capacity for its customers on Falcon 9 rideshare missions under a Multi-Launch Agreement (MLA) with SpaceX first signed in 2020 and since expanded to include new missions. Under the terms of the MLA, Exolaunch provides turnkey mission management, testing, integration services as well as its industry-leading separation systems.

FULL MISSION MANIFEST
THE COLOMBIAN AIR FORCE (FUERZA AÉREA COLOMBIANA) AND GOMSPACE, FACSAT-2
FACSAT-2, dubbed “Chiribiquete”, was deployed using EXOpod Nova for the Colombian Air Force, a new government customer. FACSAT-2 is a 6U Earth observation satellite built by GomSpace.

KENYA SPACE AGENCY WITH SAYARILABS AND ENDUROSAT, TAIFA-1
TAIFA-1 was deployed using EXOpod Nova for the Kenya Space Agency and SayariLabs, a new governmental customer and an emerging space nation. TAIFA-1 is a 3U satellite built by EnduroSat and SayariLabs, and is Kenya’s first Earth observation mission intended to provide disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities.

SPACE FLIGHT LABORATORY ON BEHALF OF THE NORWEGIAN SPACE AGENCY, NORSAT-TD
NorSat-TD was deployed using EXOport Europa for the Norway Space Agency. The NorSat-TD microsatellite is designed for Earth observation and technology testing and was built by Space Flight Laboratory, a well-known Canadian small satellite manufacturer with an extensive track record.

BRONCO SPACE, PLEIADES-YEARLING
Pleiades-Yearling was deployed using EXOpod Nova for Bronco Space at Cal Poly Pomona, a new customer from academia. Pleiades-Yearling is a 1U CubeSat that will test open-source CubeSat architecture and features a radiation detector demonstration payload.

STANFORD STUDENT SPACE INITIATIVE, SAPLING GIGANTEUM
Sapling Giganteum was deployed using an EXOpod Nova for the Stanford Student Space Initiative at Stanford University, a new academic customer. Sapling Giganteum is a 1U CubeSat destined to test open-source subsystems and to demonstrate the validity of the affordable COTS Google Coral Edge computing platform whilst providing students with invaluable hands-on experience.

TÜBITAK UZAY, SSS-2B
SSS-2B was deployed using EXOpod Nova for TÜBITAK UZAY, a Turkish applied research, technology development, and application-oriented institute developing indigenous subsystems for higher resolution remote sensing satellites. SSS-2B is a 3U CubeSat that will demonstrate and validate various subsystems and hosts a double Earth observation and radiation dosimeter payload.

ISILAUNCH ON BEHALF OF ORBITAL SOLUTIONS MONACO (OSM) AND THE LABORATOIRE ATMOSPHÈRES, OBSERVATIONS SPATIALES (LATMOS), ROSEYCUBESAT-1 AND INSPIRE-SAT-7
ROSEYCUBESAT-1 and INSPIRE-SAT 7 were deployed using EXOpod Nova for ISILAUNCH on behalf of OSM and LATMOS, respectively. ISILAUNCH, a fellow launch aggregator, manifested both satellites with Exolaunch. The satellites were built by the satellite manufacturer ISISPACE. ROSEYCUBESAT-1 is a 1U CubeSat with a camera payload intended for didactic purposes and INSPIRE-SAT-7 is a 2U in-orbit demonstrator intended to test EO CubeSats constellations in orbit.

ENDUROSAT ON BEHALF OF SATELIOT, 2B5GSAT
2B5GSAT, dubbed “Groundbreaker”, was deployed using EXOpod for returning Bulgarian customer EnduroSat, on behalf of Spain-based Sateliot. 2B5GSAT features an in-orbit demonstration payload of an Internet of Things (IoT) communications system integrated in EnduroSat’s standard 6U XL platform bus.

SPIRE GLOBAL, KAUST, FINDUSADLER-2, AND GNSS-4
Kaust, FindusAdler-2 and GNSS-4 were deployed using EXOpod Nova for Spire Global, a long-standing customer and a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services delivered by one of the largest multipurpose satellite constellations in the world. Kaust hosts a hyperspectral camera with advanced on-board processing capabilities in combination with Spire’s Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) sensor payload that will collect intelligence on soil moisture. FindusAdler-2 is a 6U nanosatellite that hosts three payloads to detect and track orbital debris and perform air quality measurements around the globe. Finally, GNSS-4 expands on Spire’s data solution constellation with GNSS sensors to gather precise data about the Earth's atmosphere, including measurements on temperature, humidity, and precipitation, as well as ionospheric electron density.

KONGSBERG NANOAVIONICS ON BEHALF OF THE DUBAI ELECTRICITY AND WATER AUTHORITY (DEWA) AND AN UNDISCLOSED CUSTOMER, DEWASAT-2 AND LS2f
DEWASAT-2 and LS2f were deployed using EXOpod Nova for returning customer Kongsberg NanoAvionics on behalf of DEWA and another undisclosed customer. DEWASAT-2 is a 6U spacecraft destined to collect multispectral imagery of the UAE region in order to monitor water quality and conduct solar park monitoring. LS2f is a 3U satellite. Both satellites were built by Kongsberg NanoAvionics, a nanosatellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator with end-to-end solutions ranging from constellations to single missions

UNSEENLABS, BRO-9
BRO-9 was deployed using EXOpod for Unseenlabs, a French leading provider in radio frequency (RF) data and solutions for Maritime Domain Awareness. BRO-9 is a 6U satellite operated by UNSEENLABS and dedicated to the monitoring of electromagnetic emissions from space. The mission extends the UNSEENLABS satellite constellation by putting another BRO-9 satellite in orbit.

PLAN-S SATELLITE AND SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, CONNECTA-T2.1
ConnectaT2.1 was deployed using EXOpod Nova for Plan-S, a returning Turkish customer and the country’s largest private initiative in space, specialising in mission computers, communications subsystems, and ground interfaces in satellite systems. Connecta-T2.1 is 6U satellite hosting a ground observation and an onboard data processing payload.

ORBASTRO, ORBASTRO-AF-1
OrbAstro-AF-1 was deployed using EXOpod Nova for OrbAstro, a British customer focused on compressing the upfront cost and lead-time for companies to go to market with powerful in-orbit infrastructure. OrbAstro-AF-1 is a 6U spacecraft built for AstroForge.

SATELLOGIC, NEWSAT-36 – NEWSAT 39
NewSat-36 through 39 were deployed using CarboNIX for Satellogic, an Argentinian leader in fully automated and affordable Earth observation platforms with the ability to remap the entire planet at both high-frequency and high-resolution. The NewSat Mark V microsatellites launched on Transporter-7 carry high-resolution submeter multispectral imagery and join the growing constellation of NewSats in orbit.

Image: EXOpod, EXOpod Nova and NorSat-TD mounted on Europa-Type EXOport, © Exolaunch 2023