SpaceX F9 : OneWeb F17 (40x) : CCSFS SLC-40 : Mar 9, 2023 (19:13 UTC)

[zubenelgenubi]

SpaceX F9 : OneWeb F17 (40 satellites)


Discussion thread for the third OneWeb flight by SpaceX.

Launch aboard Falcon 9 1062-13 on March 9, 2023 at 19:13 UTC (2:13 pm EST), from CCSFS SLC-40.  40 satellites per launch.  First stage will land at LZ-1. Three launches total.

OneWeb Constellation Thread (has links to OneWeb launch threads)

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-posts re: earlier developments

SpaceX launches for OneWeb:

https://oneweb.net/resources/oneweb-resume-satellite-launches-through-agreement-spacex
[March 21]

OneWeb to resume satellite launches through agreement with SpaceX

Agreement will enable OneWeb to resume its launch programme and complete satellite constellation for industry-grade secure connectivity around the world.

London, U.K., 21 March, 2022 – OneWeb, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, announced today that the company and SpaceX entered into an agreement that will enable OneWeb to resume satellite launches.

The first launch with SpaceX is anticipated in 2022 and will add to OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation that currently stands at 428 satellites, or 66 percent of the fleet. OneWeb's network will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.

OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson said: “We thank SpaceX for their support, which reflects our shared vision for the boundless potential of space. With these launch plans in place, we’re on track to finish building out our full fleet of satellites and deliver robust, fast, secure connectivity around the globe.”

Demand for OneWeb’s broadband connectivity services has continued to grow across telecommunications providers, aviation and maritime markets, and governments worldwide. OneWeb has activated service with its network at the 50th parallel and above, and early partners are initiating service.

Terms of the agreement with SpaceX are confidential.

Polar launches from Florida:

This would confirm that SpaceX will launch the OneWeb satellites from Florida into a polar orbit. It is not yet known how many satellites could travel on each mission.
https://twitter.com/Free_Space/status/1508914042789842954

Launches, deployment, and global service schedule:

[OneWeb’s Maurizio] Vanotti on OneWeb launch plans: we have an agreement with SpaceX for a few Falcon 9 launches and NSIL for GSLV Mark III. Our plan is to be back on the pad in the 4th quarter and complete deployment by the 2nd quarter of 2023. Full global service by the end of 2023. #SWFSummit22 [June 23]

NSIL - New Space India Limited (ISRO)

First of TBA number of Falcon 9 launches:

SN, OneWeb to resume launches in fourth quarter [June 23]

Notably, [OneWeb’s Maurizio] Vanotti said that the agreement, negotiated over less than three days, is for a “few Falcon 9 launches.” The companies had previously declined to say even how many launches were included in the agreement.

Three Falcon 9 launches:

This tweet gives us finally some information on the number of OneWeb satellites per launch and the number of launches:

.@Eutelsat_SA @OneWeb combination 2: 3 @SpaceX launches (equivalent to 4 Soyuz OneWeb launches) & 2 Indian GSLV missions will complete Gen 1 deployment between Sept and March. OneWeb chairman Sunil Bharti thanked US & Indian govts for their influence in securing these launches. [July 26]

3  @SpaceX  launches (equivalent to 4 Soyuz OneWeb launches): As one Soyuz could carry 36 sats, the equivalent of 4 Soyuz launches spread over 3 Falcon launches means that there are 48 OneWeb sats on each Falcon launch.

Forty satellites per launch:

SFN Launch Schedule, updated November 2:
Oneweb [Flight] 15
Late November/Early December
Launch time of day TBD
LC-39A

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 40 satellites into orbit for OneWeb, which is developing and deploying a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit for low-latency broadband communications. This will the first launch of OneWeb satellites with SpaceX. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. [Nov. 2]

Regarding the second and final OneWeb cluster launch aboard a LVM3:

Cross-post; this launch hopefully still NLT March 2023?

[YouTube link]

Perhaps five Indian orbital launches before the end of the Indian fiscal year March 31, 2023:
Oceansat-3: end of November;
The 2nd OneWeb cluster launch: January or February, LVM3 M3;
The 2nd SSLV launch;
GSLV (MkII) NavIC satellite, apparently IRNSS-1J (1st of 5 2nd generation NavIC satellites ordered, which matches the circumstances of 1J);
Perhaps Aditya-L1.

Launch delayed. Next GSLV Mk2 launch (F12 or F14) should come before this one.

Current listing on NextSpaceFlight:
NET February 2023

[crandles57]

https://oneweb.net/resources/oneweb-confirms-successful-deployment-40-satellites-launched-spacex-0

says

With 542 satellites now in orbit, OneWeb has more than 80% of its first-generation constellation launched.

This seems to confirm the 648 total satellites planned.

So 106 left to launch to complete the 648.

It also says

with only two more launches remaining to complete its first-generation constellation enabling global connectivity in 2023.

I am doubting they are they going to fit 106 on last two launches.

https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/12/08/falcon-9-oneweb-15-coverage/
says

OneWeb needs 588 operational satellites to complete its first-generation broadband network, or a total of nearly 650 spacecraft when counting spares.

So seems likely remaining two launches will be same numbers as previously. 542 + 36 + 40 takes it up to 618 and this (being over 588) is enough to 'enable global connectivity'.

648-618 leaves 30 to launch (maybe more if any fail).

Fitting 30 on rideshare with 5 Iridium Next spares seems unlikely to fit when 30 Onewebs is 75% of a full load of 40 and 5 Iridium Next is 50% of a full load of 10.

I would guess planning to manage with ~50 spares rather than the full 60 spares unless a good cheap opportunity arises.

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post re: LVM3 M3 launch and which launch is F17 or F18:

LVM3-M3: Next batch of OneWeb satellites have left the factory for India. Launch aiming for early March 2023. [Jan 24]

I assume that there are OneWeb technicians that work (most or) all the OneWeb launches and/or the first satellite activation tasks.

In this case, employees must travel to and from Cape Canaveral and Sriharikota.

What is the minimum turn-around between OneWeb launches?

And when in the busy launch schedule at LC-39A and SLC-40 will this launch occur?

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

Edit January 28/further observation:
The final Falcon 9 OneWeb cluster launch could replace the mPower pair launch (late February, SLC-40), if necessary.

Edit January 31: No

[Conexion Espacial]

NextSpaceFlight indicates that this mission will be #18, i.e. after the launch of the GSLV Mk III rocket from India.

[gongora]

Update made to SpaceX launch license:

4. Liability Insurance: SpaceX shall maintain a policy or policies of liability insurance for covered claims in accordance with 14 C.F.R. § 440.9(b) in the amounts below:
(a) Flight of Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS)
(i) Sixty-Eight Million Dollars ($68,000,000) for Falcon 9 NASA Dragon 1 CRS missions, if the flight does not include first stage return to land (LZ-1);
(ii) Eighty-Six Million Dollars ($86,000,000) for geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), low Earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), or lunar transfer orbit (LTO) missions;
(iii) One Hundred Sixty Million Dollars ($160,000,000) for Falcon 9 NASA Dragon 1 CRS missions or LTO missions if the flight includes a first stage return to land (LZ-1); or
(iv) One Hundred Eighty Million Dollars ($180,000,000) for the COSMO-SkyMed, Starlink Group 2, or Transporter missions; and
(v) Five Hundred Million Dollars ($500,000,000) for the OneWeb-2 mission.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/m_ladovaz/status/1624733631523524614

And meanwhile we are delivering satellites to @SpaceX for our next launch.  We were missing two launch campaigns in parallel in the list of challenges 😅@OneWeb @OneWebSatellit1

[crandles57]

 

And a Falcon 9 from pad 40 will launch the next batch of OneWeb satellites for SES on early March.

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

Wonder if that is before or after SES 18 & 19.
With it being RTLS could be as early as March 1 and SES 18 &19 still be on or close to March 6

[crandles57]

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/
16 Feb
Has it as 1 March 19:44UTC

[GewoonLukas_]

NextSpaceflight lists droneship (A Shortfall Of Gravitas) landing, so this mission will be utilizing the ASDS option of the 2 FCC filings made for this launch. Possible rideshare payloads?? (this smells like Globalstar FM15)

https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/6987

0131-EX-ST-2023
Mission 1860
RTLS from Florida NET late February (O3B Flight 2?)

No ASDS listed, but app states "SpaceX Mission 1860 (RTLS option)".  I've never seen that before.
Also, it states "This application uses information from previous grant 1955-EX-ST-2022", which was OneWeb 2.  OneWeb 2 "used information from" OneWeb 1, so decent chance this is OneWeb 3.

Follow up FCC app with same Mission #

0136-EX-ST-2023
Mission 1860 (downrange droneship landing option), SLC-40 or LC-39A
Operation Start Date 2023 Feb 24 (same as 0131-EX-ST-2023)
ASDS North 23 39 28  West 79 16 30 (southeast polar orbit landing approx 550km downrange)
"Uses information from" 0788-EX-ST-2022 (aka. USA 328-331 + Globalstar FM15).  Maybe some Starshield sats?  Any ideas?

[scr00chy]

Spaceflight Now also lists a droneship landing for this mission.

[crandles57]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

[GewoonLukas_]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

[striver]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

Minimum time for pad turnaround - 5.15 days for CCSFS SLC-40 and for ASAD - 8.15 days. I believe that current limiting factor is not pad turnaround.

[GewoonLukas_]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

Minimum time for pad turnaround - 5.15 days for CCSFS SLC-40 and for ASAD - 8.15 days. I believe that current limiting factor is not pad turnaround.

Turnaround would be 3 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes, so both are currently limiting factors.

[striver]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

Minimum time for pad turnaround - 5.15 days for CCSFS SLC-40 and for ASAD - 8.15 days. I believe that current limiting factor is not pad turnaround.

Turnaround would be 3 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes, so both are currently limiting factors.

And where do you expect booster would land? By Nextspaceflight's info 1st stage of OneWeb mission is landing on ASAD , not on land.

[GewoonLukas_]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

Minimum time for pad turnaround - 5.15 days for CCSFS SLC-40 and for ASAD - 8.15 days. I believe that current limiting factor is not pad turnaround.

Turnaround would be 3 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes, so both are currently limiting factors.

And where do you expect booster would land? By Nextspaceflight's info 1st stage of OneWeb mission is landing on ASAD , not on land.

On the A Shortfall Of Gravitas droneship. As I said, both the pad and ASDS turnaround are currently limiting factors.

[striver]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

Minimum time for pad turnaround - 5.15 days for CCSFS SLC-40 and for ASAD - 8.15 days. I believe that current limiting factor is not pad turnaround.

Turnaround would be 3 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes, so both are currently limiting factors.

And where do you expect booster would land? By Nextspaceflight's info 1st stage of OneWeb mission is landing on ASAD , not on land.

On the A Shortfall Of Gravitas droneship. As I said, both the pad and ASDS turnaround are currently limiting factors.

So you saying that SpaceX would drop launch of their Starlink mission 6-1 and reschedule it after OneWeb's? Or droneship would "fly" and be ready to catch an other booster in 3 days?

[GewoonLukas_]

ASOG 23rd Feb 18:37 6-1 launch
to March 1 19:44 is only just over 6 days

Can that be done? Drop off booster in Bahamas catch another then bring 2 back? Or should we expect delay?

With Starlink 6-1 being delayed to at least February 26th, this mission will almost certainly slip. Not only because of the droneship, but also because of pad turnarounds.

Minimum time for pad turnaround - 5.15 days for CCSFS SLC-40 and for ASAD - 8.15 days. I believe that current limiting factor is not pad turnaround.

Turnaround would be 3 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes, so both are currently limiting factors.

And where do you expect booster would land? By Nextspaceflight's info 1st stage of OneWeb mission is landing on ASAD , not on land.

On the A Shortfall Of Gravitas droneship. As I said, both the pad and ASDS turnaround are currently limiting factors.

So you saying that SpaceX would drop launch of their Starlink mission 6-1 and reschedule it after OneWeb's? Or droneship would "fly" and be ready to catch an other booster in 3 days?

No, I'm saying that because the Starlink 6-1 mission has been delayed to NET February 26th, this mission (OneWeb Flight 17) will most certainly slip due to pad and droneship turnaround times.