Author Topic: Firefly Alpha Flight 2: To the Black : VSFB SLC-2W : 1 October 2022 07:01 UTC (Read 88424 times)

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #100 on:** 09/12/2022 03:04 pm »

https://twitter.com/thejackbeyer/status/1569338690631274496

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Shhhhhh - it's sleeping. @Firefly_Space's Alpha rocket was horizontal this morning ahead of its next launch attempt later today. The window is four hours and once again opens at 3pm pacific. Thanks again to Firefly for letting us reset out remotes this morning. @NASASpaceflight

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #101 on:** 09/12/2022 07:18 pm »

https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1569404253072146432

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🚀The team worked through the issue and is ready to go. The launch window opens at 3:00 PM PST. Waiting on status of current weather conditions. Stand by for more details.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #102 on:** 09/12/2022 08:36 pm »

Live stream just started

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #103 on:** 09/12/2022 08:58 pm »

Rocket is 100% ready; weather currently challenging as overcast and windy. Waiting for new weather info

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #104 on:** 09/12/2022 09:00 pm »

SCRUB

https://twitter.com/firefly_space/status/1569430532718743553

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🚀Launch Update: The Firefly team working @SLDelta30 made the decision to scrub today’s launch due to violation of wind constraints. Firefly has secured Sept. 19th and 20th on the range for the next launch attempts. Alpha stands ready to launch. Stay tuned for more information.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #105 on:** 09/12/2022 09:26 pm »

Tim talking about the N-1 engines!

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #106 on:** 09/12/2022 09:29 pm »

Behind Tim is NASA's old Space Shuttle hanger.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #107 on:** 09/12/2022 09:42 pm »

Two of the Firefly crew checking out a helium tank.

End of webcast.

Ken the Bin · « **Reply #108 on:** 09/12/2022 10:04 pm »

The NGA notice for Firefly is canceled TBD.

Quote from: NGA

122127Z SEP 22
NAVAREA XII 676/22(18).
EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
CALIFORNIA.
CANCEL NAVAREA XII 657/22 AND THIS MSG, OPERATIONS SUSPENDED.

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #109 on:** 09/13/2022 05:03 am »

https://twitter.com/nextspaceflight/status/1569551775241490432

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Timelapse of today's Alpha launch attempt which was scrubbed due to weather.

Shows how cloud cover notably increased. I believe it was violation of wind constraints that caused the scrub.

Helodriver · « **Reply #110 on:** 09/13/2022 04:51 pm »

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 09/12/2022 09:29 pm

Behind Tim is NASA's old Space Shuttle hanger.

Tim was not correct in calling this a Shuttle hangar during his webcast. This building was for storage and processing of Delta and later Delta II. Shuttle was processed in a dedicated OPF near the landing runway before transport to SLC-6. that OPF is now an NRO payload processing facility.

Jim · « **Reply #111 on:** 09/13/2022 05:07 pm »

Quote from: Helodriver on 09/13/2022 04:51 pm

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 09/12/2022 09:29 pm
Behind Tim is NASA's old Space Shuttle hanger.

Tim was not correct in calling this a Shuttle hangar during his webcast. This building was for storage and processing of Delta and later Delta II. Shuttle was processed in a dedicated OPF near the landing runway before transport to SLC-6. that OPF is now an NRO payload processing facility.

It's first used was for Blue Scout.

DaveS · « **Reply #112 on:** 09/13/2022 05:27 pm »

Quote from: Helodriver on 09/13/2022 04:51 pm

Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 09/12/2022 09:29 pm
Behind Tim is NASA's old Space Shuttle hanger.

Tim was not correct in calling this a Shuttle hangar during his webcast. This building was for storage and processing of Delta and later Delta II. Shuttle was processed in a dedicated OPF near the landing runway before transport to SLC-6. that OPF is now an NRO payload processing facility.

But there was a dedicated Shuttle hangar at EDW that housed the EDW Orbiter Recovery Convoy inbetween uses as well as one of the two Tail Cones.

Helodriver · « **Reply #113 on:** 09/13/2022 05:39 pm »

Quote from: DaveS on 09/13/2022 05:27 pm

Quote from: Helodriver on 09/13/2022 04:51 pm
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 09/12/2022 09:29 pm
Behind Tim is NASA's old Space Shuttle hanger.

Tim was not correct in calling this a Shuttle hangar during his webcast. This building was for storage and processing of Delta and later Delta II. Shuttle was processed in a dedicated OPF near the landing runway before transport to SLC-6. that OPF is now an NRO payload processing facility.
But there was a dedicated Shuttle hangar at EDW that housed the EDW Orbiter Recovery Convoy inbetween uses as well as one of the two Tail Cones.

I'm not saying that hangar may or may not have held recovery convoy hardware. But Tim went on to claim that the shuttle itself would have been transported to this hangar as part of the processing flow and that was definitely not the case. I've been inside this hangar and the doors are not high enough for the shuttle's tail when it was on the wheeled transporter. There was no plan to demate the shuttle from the transporter onto its landing gear to tow it here. Even if there were, it still would not fit inside. The Vandenberg OPF is significantly larger.

Ken the Bin · « **Reply #114 on:** 09/14/2022 12:21 pm »

New NGA generic Hazardous Operations notice that is actually a Rocket Launching notice. (Not a cancel-and-replace because the previous notice was canceled by a standalone cancellation notice.)

Edit: Note that this has a different launch window, approximately 07:00 to 09:00 UTC (00:00 to 02:00 PDT). If that's right, they're going to launch in the middle of the night.

Quote from: NGA

132032Z SEP 22
NAVAREA XII 682/22(18).
EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
CALIFORNIA.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 190631Z TO 190959Z SEP, 
   ALTERNATE 0631Z TO 0959Z DAILY 20 THRU 23 SEP
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   34-33.00N 120-21.00W, 34-07.00N 121-19.00W,
   31-10.00N 127-20.00W, 28-56.00N 131-10.00W,
   29-57.00N 131-57.00W, 31-32.00N 129-12.00W,
   34-58.00N 120-41.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 231059Z SEP 22.//

Ken the Bin · « **Reply #115 on:** 09/14/2022 12:34 pm »

That time is correct.

https://firefly.com/alpha-flight-2-to-the-black/

Quote from: Firefly

Timing: Launch window opens on September 19, 2022, at 12:00 AM PST

(That's actually PDT, not PST.)

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #116 on:** 09/14/2022 04:31 pm »

Some behind the scenes Firefly video for flight 2:

FutureSpaceTourist · « **Reply #117 on:** 09/14/2022 08:54 pm »

twitter.com/stephenclark1/status/1570145655892344833

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Eric Salwan of Firefly Aerospace, says the next launch attempt for the Alpha rocket will be at night. Targeting a 12am-2am (presumably Pacific time) launch window on Monday, Sept. 19.

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1570146507969503232

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Salwan confirmed that is PDT, so 0700-0900 GMT.

Steven Pietrobon · « **Reply #118 on:** 09/15/2022 07:50 am »

Quote from: Jim on 09/13/2022 05:07 pm

It's first used was for Blue Scout.

Reference? I found that only Blue Scout Junior was launched from Vandenberg. Blue Scout was only launched from Cape Canaveral.

https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/blue_scout_jr.htm
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/blue-scout-1.htm
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/blue-scout-2.htm

Here's a photo from http://www.b14643.de/Spacerockets_2/United_States_2/Scout/Gallery/BlueScout.htm that could be Blue Scout Junior being processed at Vandenberg.

WheelsStop · « **Reply #119 on:** 09/15/2022 05:11 pm »

Curious what's driving the Firefly launch window - 4 hours with no shift over 2 days (4 days per NGA notice), then 2 hours with no shift over 2 days, but offset 9 hours from the week prior. Is this just range availability?