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SpaceX F9 : USSF-62/WSF-M SV1 : VSFB : 11 April 2024 (14:25 UTC)
by
Targeteer
on 11 Jan, 2023 11:08
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Discussion thread for USSF-62 mission.
Launched April 11, 2024 at 14:25 UTC (7:25 am PDT) on Falcon 9 B1082-3 from Vandenberg. Landed at LZ-4. Initial orbit: 819 x 828 km x 98.7 deg sun-synch orbit with 06:00 local time orbital plane. Satellite ~1200kg.
Main Payloads:
WSF-M SV-1 (Upper Payload Slot)
BLAZE (Lower Payload Slot)Rideshare Payloads:
ELaNa 56: TRYAD (2x 6U, Auburn U./NASA SOMD)
Ball Aerospace Enters Final Stages of Building Space Force's Next-Gen Operational Weather SatelliteJanuary 10, 2023
Ball Aerospace completes satellite bus integration and microwave imager testing
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace completed the spacecraft bus for the Weather System Follow-on-Microwave (WSF-M) satellite, the U.S. Space Force's next-generation operational environmental satellite system. Ball also finalized environmental testing on the Microwave Imager (MWI) instrument and has started final space vehicle assembly, integration and testing.
Ball Aerospace makes progress on the Weather System Follow-on-Microwave satellite for the U.S. Space Force.
Upon delivery, WSF-M will provide mission data to Department of Defense's (DoD) environmental prediction systems that support all warfighter domains. In addition, it will broadcast real-time, actionable environmental intelligence to on-going military operations across the globe.
"The nearly simultaneous completion of the spacecraft bus and instrument testing mark a significant milestone for the WSF-M program," said, Hope Damphousse, vice president, Strategic Operations, Ball Aerospace. "We are moving forward with spacecraft integration of the MWI sensor, along with a government-furnished Energetic Charged Particle (ECP) sensor, which will be followed by a suite of space vehicle performance and environmental tests."
At the heart of the WSF-M payload is the Ball-built MWI sensor that takes calibrated passive radiometric measurements at multiple microwave frequencies to measure sea surface winds, tropical cyclone intensity and additional environmental data. The ECP sensor will provide critical space weather measurements. WSF-M was designed to mitigate three high-priority DoD Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) gaps: ocean surface vector winds, tropical cyclone intensity and the space weather gap, low Earth orbit (LEO) energetic charged particles. It will also address three additional SBEM gaps: sea ice characterization, soil moisture and snow depth. Ball Aerospace was recently awarded the contract modification to develop and build the second WSF-M space vehicle, expected to be completed by late 2027.
Ball Aerospace has played key roles on numerous operational weather satellite programs. Its Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instruments are operating on the Ball-built Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 satellites, launched in 2011 and 2017, respectively. OMPS is also on board the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2), which launched on November 10, 2022. Ball is on contract with NASA to build two additional OMPS instruments for JPSS-3 and JPSS-4. The Ball-built Ion Velocity Meter (IVM) space weather sensors are flying on five of the six Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2) satellites, a joint program with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Taiwan's National Space Organization, NOAA and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research that launched in 2019.
Mod edit: updated mission payload information and update the WSF-M entry to include the Space Vehicle 1 tag as more than one WSF-M Space Vehicle has been ordered with additional orders proposed.
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#1
by
Comga
on 12 Jan, 2023 00:16
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To my knowlege, there has been no launch announcement.On May 27 Salo changed the WSF-M launcher on his
US Launch Schedule from NLSP-II to Falcon 9.
(The sole alternative was Atlas-V, and there are none of those available anymore, so F9 is a foregone conclusion.)
Salo now has it listed as "TBD - USSF-62: TBD, WSF-M 1, BLAZE - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E"
Ridesharing with a USSF payload could be the reason for the lack of public statement.A contact on the program says that they will indeed launch on a Falcon 9, with an undisclosed rideshare, as early as next January.
("NET Jan '24" doesn't provide any more information than "2024" so no change in thread title is suggested.)
edit: Thanks gongora. There WAS an announcement of the launcher, on May 26.
Normally we start these threads with an announcement like that.
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#2
by
DanClemmensen
on 12 Jan, 2023 00:43
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To my knowlege, there has been no launch announcement.
On May 27 Salo changed the WSF-M launcher on his US Launch Schedule from NLSP-II to Falcon 9.
(The sole alternative was Atlas-V, and there are none of those available anymore, so F9 is a foregone conclusion.)
Salo now has it listed as "TBD - USSF-62: TBD, WSF-M 1, BLAZE - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E"
Ridesharing with a USSF payload could be the reason for the lack of public statement.
A contact on the program says that they will indeed launch on a Falcon 9, with an undisclosed rideshare, as early as next January.
("NET Jan '24" doesn't provide any more information than "2024" so no change in thread title is suggested.)
What is the earliest theoretically possible launch of Vulcan Centaur on an NSSL mission? I understand USSF will require two successful non-NSSL flights first, but then what? Must USSF wait for those two flights before they can even start, or can they tentatively assign a flight to Vulcan and then switch it to F9 if Vulcan is not yet available?
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#3
by
gongora
on 12 Jan, 2023 01:18
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There are already flights assigned to Vulcan, and it would probably take a multi-year delay from now for them to switch to F9
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#4
by
gongora
on 12 Jan, 2023 01:21
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#5
by
gongora
on 26 Jan, 2023 19:35
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#6
by
gongora
on 27 Jun, 2023 14:33
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0915-EX-CN-2023 TRYAD (2x 6U), Auburn University
[May 4]
TRYAD is sponsored by the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. ... which will be flown on the USSF-62 mission to a 550km sun-synchronous orbit. The current launch date is planned for NET 01/01/2024.
...
Overview
TRYAD is a pair of 6U CubeSats designed to simultaneously measure terrestrial gammaray flashes (TGFs) from LEO in order to derive constraints on the electric fields that accelerate the electrons responsible for gamma-ray emissions.
The Payload is a gamma-ray scintillation detector that is comprised of four plastic scintillator bars with silicon photomultiplier (SiPMs) arrays at the end of each bar to detect visible scintillation light produced by gamma-ray interaction with the detector. These detected light pulses are proportional to incident gamma-ray energy.
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#7
by
GewoonLukas_
on 25 Sep, 2023 07:44
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Testing completed and on track for launch early next year:
Ball Aerospace Completes Testing on Space Systems Command Operational Weather Monitoring Satellite
September 07, 2023
Ball Aerospace successfully concluded testing on the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite this week, representing the completion of the first of two satellites Ball is delivering for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command next-generation operational environmental satellite system.
Once on orbit, WSF-M will provide the Department of Defense with critical data meant to fill gaps in existing space-based environmental monitoring, such as the speed and direction of ocean winds, tropical cyclone intensity, ice thickness, snow depth and soil moisture. The satellite is scheduled to launch early next year from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
[...]
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#8
by
vaporcobra
on 26 Sep, 2023 03:54
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#9
by
Salo
on 03 Dec, 2023 10:52
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#10
by
GewoonLukas_
on 07 Feb, 2024 17:28
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WSF-M1 has been shipped to Vandenberg, launch is scheduled for Late-March:
Ball Aerospace Ships Space Systems Command Operational Weather Satellite for Launch
07 Feb, 2024
Ball Aerospace successfully shipped the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite to Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California last week. The satellite is the first of two that Ball Aerospace will deliver for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command next-generation operational environmental satellite system.
The satellite is scheduled to launch in late March aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Once in orbit, WSF-M will dramatically improve space-based environmental monitoring capabilities for the Department of Defense, utilizing a Ball-built Microwave Imager (MWI) to capture real-time data on sea ice and surface winds, tropical cyclone intensity, snow depth, soil moisture and more.
[...]
Edit to add:
New! ➡ The Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite has successfully shipped to Vandenberg Space Force Base where it is expected to launch late next month.
📰: https://bit.ly/4bHN1wb
https://twitter.com/BallAerospace/status/1755317530036461610
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#11
by
catdlr
on 07 Feb, 2024 22:04
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https://twitter.com/GewoonLukas_/status/1755303794194137254Ball Aerospace has shipped the 1st Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite to Vandenberg! It is scheduled to be launched as the primary payload aboard the USSF-62 mission in Late-March aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ball-aerospace-ships-space-systems-command-operational-weather-satellite-for-launch-302055925.html
Ball Aerospace Ships Space Systems Command Operational Weather Satellite for Launch07 Feb, 2024, 12:00 ET
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Feb. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace successfully shipped the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite to Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California last week. The satellite is the first of two that Ball Aerospace will deliver for the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command next-generation operational environmental satellite system.
The satellite is scheduled to launch in late March aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Once in orbit, WSF-M will dramatically improve space-based environmental monitoring capabilities for the Department of Defense, utilizing a Ball-built Microwave Imager (MWI) to capture real-time data on sea ice and surface winds, tropical cyclone intensity, snow depth, soil moisture and more.
"The WSF-M satellite will provide a new level of environmental intelligence for our nation's military across all domains," said Thai Sheridan, vice president & general manager, Military Space, Ball Aerospace. "We're proud of our role in this critical mission to support the safety of our warfighters and the success of their crucial operations around the world."
In addition to the MWI, Ball Aerospace was responsible for designing, building and integrating the spacecraft bus and ground data processing software. The satellite also features a government-built Energetic Charged Particle (ECP) sensor that will provide space weather measurements.
In 2022, Ball Aerospace was awarded a follow-on contract to build and deliver a second WSF-M satellite, which will be completed in 2026.
<snip>
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#12
by
GewoonLukas_
on 08 Feb, 2024 21:24
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#SpaceSystemsCommand 1st Weather System Follow-on-Microwave satellite scheduled for March launch represents #USSF’s next gen space-based environmental monitoring systems
Stay tuned for more about the benefits weather monitoring from our #SpaceSensing team of weather #Guardians.
https://twitter.com/USSF_SSC/status/1755718504299532348
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#13
by
zubenelgenubi
on 29 Feb, 2024 10:58
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Follow-on to
DMSP-5D3 (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Block 5D3)Follow-on to canceled
NPOES 1, 2Follow-on to canceled
DWSS 1, 2
Ball Aerospace Wins Major U.S. Air Force Contract for Next-Gen Weather SatelliteNovember 29, 2017
BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace has been selected by the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) to deliver the next-generation operational environmental satellite system, Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M), for the Department of Defense (DoD). WSF-M is a predominantly fixed price contract that will provide for system design and risk reduction of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite with a passive microwave imaging radiometer instrument and hosted Government furnished energetic charged particle (ECP) sensor. The contract will include options for the development and fabrication of two LEO satellites as well as options for launch vehicle integration, launch and early orbit test, and operational test and evaluation support. This mission will improve weather forecasting over maritime regions by taking global measurements of the atmosphere and ocean surface.
Ball Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.)
"This is an exciting win for us, and we're looking forward to expanding our work with the Air Force and continuing to support warfighters and allies around the world," said Rob Strain, president, Ball Aerospace. "WSF-M extends Ball's legacy of providing precise measurements from space to enable more accurate weather forecasting."
As the prime contractor, Ball will be responsible for developing and integrating the entire microwave system, which includes the microwave instrument, spacecraft and system software.
WSF-M is designed to mitigate three high priority DoD Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) gaps: ocean surface vector winds, tropical cyclone intensity and LEO energetic charged particles.
This new environmental satellite system leverages the Ball-built Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument, which is the on-orbit reference standard for calibrating precipitation measurements in NASA's GPM constellation. The WSF-M bus will be based on the Ball Configurable Platform, a proven, agile spacecraft with 50 years of on-orbit operations for affordable remote sensing applications.
Ball has played key roles on numerous national and international programs that make critical measurements of the physical environment. These include designing and building the weather spacecraft for both the recently launched Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) and for the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP).
Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet, deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. For more information, visit
www.ball.com/aerospace or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Ball Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, food and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 18,450 people worldwide and 2016 net sales were $9.1 billion. For more information, visit
www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
<snip>
Unclear:
Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)
NET October 2021- 2022-2023 - WSF-M 1 Weather Satellite Follow-on 1 - Vulcan/Falcon 9 TBD - Vandenberg SLC-3E/4E
Changes on November 29th, 2017
Unclear:
Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)
2022-2023 - WSF-M 1 - NLSP-II - Vandenberg
Changes on August 11th, 2019
https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/04/21/ball-hits-milestone-with-weather-system-follow-on/
According to the Space Force, the WSF satellite is projected for a launch in fiscal 2024.
= NET CY Q4 2023
Scheduled:
Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)
2024
TBD - USSF-62: TBD, WSF-M 1 - NLSP II Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E (or Q4 2023)
Changes on May 26th, 2022
http://milsatmagazine.com/story.php?number=1825099460 [June 2022]
...said Capt. Carmen J. Riazzi, one of the MMO program managers who worked on two coming missions — EZIO on SBIRS GEO-6 and BLAZE, flying on the USSF 62.
Scheduled:
Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)
2024
TBD - USSF-62: TBD, WSF-M 1, BLAZE - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E
Changes on June 27th, 2022
Edited
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#14
by
gongora
on 19 Mar, 2024 13:19
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https://twitter.com/USSF_SSC/status/1769876500143034434Introducing Capt. Terranika Johnson, WSF-M Deputy Program Manager, SSC Environmental and Tactical Surveillance Acquisition Delta. Capt Johnson is part of the USSF-62 Weather System follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite program office, projected for an April launch.
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#15
by
GewoonLukas_
on 07 Apr, 2024 20:02
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NET April 11th at 12:00 UTC:
Cross-posts:
Does anybody know what this is?
030817Z APR 24
NAVAREA XII 231/24(18,83).
EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS:
A. 1354Z TO 1504Z DAILY 11 THRU 17 APR
IN AREA BOUND BY
30-49.00N 121-55.00W, 31-49.00N 121-55.00W,
31-00.00N 122-44.00W, 30-11.00N 122-55.00W,
30-04.00N 122-30.00W, 30-08.00N 122-15.00W.
B. 1603Z TO 1636Z DAILY 11 THRU 17 APR
IN AREA BOUND BY
15-00.00N 149-34.00W, 15-30.00N 151-53.00W,
06-26.00N 153-53.00W, 05-56.00N 151-38.00W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 171736Z APR 24.
Seems plausible for Worldview Legion or NROL-174, but I haven't found anyone making "let's go" posts, so no clear association.
There's a dogleg: the ascent is on a 201 deg heading, while the 2nd stage splash zone is aligned to 192 deg heading. (I think the latter is still consistent with a sun-sync orbit, right?)
Interested in your thoughts...
Seems plausible for Worldview Legion or NROL-174, but I haven't found anyone making "let's go" posts, so no clear association.
USSF-62 is also launching to SSO.
Thanks, zubenelgenubi, it looks like you’re a winner:
From https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_spt.jsp
USSF-62 VANDEBERG, CA
PRIMARY: 04/11/24. 1200Z-1636Z
BACKUP(S): 04/12-04/17 1200Z-1636Z
So, is there a SpaceX/USSF-62 thread?
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#16
by
OneSpeed
on 07 Apr, 2024 22:38
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Seems plausible for Worldview Legion or NROL-174, but I haven't found anyone making "let's go" posts, so no clear association.
USSF-62 is also launching to SSO.
A map from the NGA notice that shows the required second stage dogleg (but not necessarily an accurate groundtrack).
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#17
by
GewoonLukas_
on 08 Apr, 2024 06:15
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NASA's Athena smallsat will also be on board:
[...]
New Path to Launch
Athena is a one-year mission that was selected to launch on the USSF-62 Blaze SpaceX mission that is scheduled for an
early 2024 launch. The USSF-62 mission will be launched onboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the western range into a polar
orbit.
[...]
This also makes it sound like Blaze is the designation of the ESPA Secondary Payload Adapter, similar to L9EFS that was launched on the Landsat-9 mission,
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#18
by
realnouns
on 10 Apr, 2024 13:43
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Go Beyond departed PoLB on Apr 10 @ 6:19pm PT / 9:19pm ET
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#19
by
Ken the Bin
on 10 Apr, 2024 13:55
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From the USCG District 11 weekly Local Notice to Mariners which came out today ...
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA-VANDENBERG SFB-HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS
Hazardous operations will be conducted from Vandenberg SFB, CA for Western Range 2412 from 6:54am on 11 April, 2024 until 8:04pm on 15 April, 2024. Hazardous operation areas are bounded by the following coordinates:
HAZARD AREA A:
34-41-00N 120-29-00W
34-41-00N 120-41-00W
34-32-00N 120-46-00W
33-45-00N 121-07-00W
33-30-00N 121-10-00W
33-28-00N 121-08-00W
33-34-00N 121-02-00W
34-31-00N 120-27-00W
34-41-00N 120-29-00W (CLOSING THE FIRST POINT)
HAZARD AREA B:
30-11-00N 122-55-00W
30-04-00N 122-30-00W
30-08-00N 122-15-00W
30-49-00N 121-55-00W
31-49-00N 121-55-00W
31-00-00N 122-44-00W
30-11-00N 122-55-00W (CLOSING THE FIRST POINT)
Mariners are advised to remain clear of these areas for the duration of operations. For more details or comments contact Vandenberg SFB at 805-606-8825 or on VHF-FM Chan. 06 or 16.
6:54am PDT = 13:54 UTC, which agrees with the NGA notice, and disagrees with the 12:00 UTC on the FAA ATCSCC Current Operations Plan Advisory.
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#20
by
Comga
on 10 Apr, 2024 14:24
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Go Beyond departed PoLB on Apr 10 @ 6:19pm PT / 9:19pm ET
Coincidently, “Go Beyond” was the PR slogan of Ball Aerospace, the builder of the WSF-M instrument and spacecraft, (and all the Hubble instruments and more) before they became part of BAE.
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#21
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 10 Apr, 2024 17:33
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#22
by
wannamoonbase
on 10 Apr, 2024 18:56
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Vandenberg RTLS is the best RTLS.
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#23
by
GewoonLukas_
on 10 Apr, 2024 20:37
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Booster
B1082-3Launch NET
14:25 UTCSpaceX is targeting Thursday, April 11 for Falcon 9’s launch of the USSF-62 mission to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The approximate 10-minute launch window opens at 7:25 a.m. PT. If needed, a backup opportunity is available Friday, April 12 with the same launch window.
A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.
This will be the third launch of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, the first stage will land on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=ussf-62Twitter/X Webcast:
https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1YqGoDaVoVzJvNo views of any rideshare payloads in this shot of payload encapsulation, so looks like Blaze (with TRYAD and Athena) has been moved to a different mission
The U.S. Space Force is launching the Weather System Follow-on – Microwave Space Vehicle, the first of two satellites that will create a more hybrid Space-Based Environmental Monitoring architecture. The payload was encapsulated into our flight-proven fairings last week
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1778159556171805088
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#24
by
Steven Pietrobon
on 10 Apr, 2024 23:02
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#25
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 02:33
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Nice weather, but cold at the launch window (upper 40 deg F).
Current Conditions at VSFB
Detail forecast
Weather Data Graphs (Red Border denotes Launch Window)
Winds Aloft (Calm)
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#26
by
spacenuance
on 11 Apr, 2024 05:40
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https://twitter.com/USSF_SSC/status/1778295024695808264EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Space Systems Command is in final preparations for the launch of the
U.S. Space Force (USSF)-62 mission carrying the first Weather Systems Follow-on-Microwave
(WSF-M) satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Ca. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch
WSF-M for SSC’s Space Sensing program office into low-Earth orbit (LEO).
The rocket went vertical on Space Launch Complex-4 East (SLC-4E) as planned, ahead of
its scheduled launch on April 11 at 7:25 a.m. PDT during an approximate 10-minute launch
window.
“We’re absolutely thrilled be out here on the central California coast, with a superb
team primed and ready to launch the USSF-62 satellite. It has an important mission ahead of it
and we’re excited for flight-proven Falcon 9 to deliver the satellite to orbit. And on this mission,
we’re using a first-stage booster whose history is purely commercial, having launched two
Starlink missions, in additional to a flight-proven fairings, which is a first for a National Space
Security Launch,” said Col. Jim Horne, senior materiel leader for SSC’s Launch Execution Delta.
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#27
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 05:40
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#28
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 06:56
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#29
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 12:14
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#30
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 12:21
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Latest weather:
Cold, Calm, some fog, otherwise nice morning for a launch.
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#31
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 13:42
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#32
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 13:44
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#33
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 13:59
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SpaceX targeting a liftoff time of 7:25 a.m. PT (10:25 a.m. ET).
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#34
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:05
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SpaceX Webcast is starting
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#35
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:08
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https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1778424388892651564William Harwood
@cbs_spacenews
F9/USSF-62: Good morning; we're standing by for launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the first Space Force Weather System Follow-on – Microwave (WSF-M) satellite; liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base is targeted for 10:25am EDT (1425 UTC)
7:06 AM · Apr 11, 2024
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#36
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:09
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#37
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:09
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No fog!
First NSSL mission from Vandenberg in 2 years, last time was NROL-85 in April 2022
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#38
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:11
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https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1778425048145043636William Harwood
@cbs_spacenews
F9/USSF-62: Space Force says the Ball Aerospace-built satellite is designed to fill in gaps in space-based environmental monitoring, using a passive microwave radiometer and other sensors to collect data on ocean winds, tropical cyclone intensity and charged particles in low-Earth orbit
7:09 AM · Apr 11, 2024
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#39
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:12
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#40
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:13
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#41
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:13
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First Payload Fairing reuse on a NSSL mission, both previously supported USSF-52
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#42
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:14
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#43
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:18
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T-7 minutes
Engine chill has started
Showing customer video in the meantime
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#44
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:20
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Spacecraft is on internal power
Stage 1 RP-1 loading has been completed
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#45
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:21
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Strongback retract has started
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#46
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:22
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It's Vandenberg, so the strongback is retracting fully and does not perform the "throwback" at launch
Stage 1 LOX load is complete
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#47
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:23
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Stage 2 LOX load is complete
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#48
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:24
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T-1 minute, Falcon 9 is in startup
LD is GO for launch
Mission Director is GO for launch
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#49
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:25
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#50
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:26
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#51
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:27
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#52
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:28
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MECO
Stage-Sep
Stage 2 Ignition
Boostback-Burn start-up
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#53
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:29
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Fairing separation confirmed
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#54
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:29
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Stage 1 boostback shutdown
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#55
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:32
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Stage 1 entry burn start up
And shutdown confirmed
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#56
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:32
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#57
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:32
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#58
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:32
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#59
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:33
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Stage 1 landing confirmed
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#60
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:34
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MVac shutdown
Nominal orbit confirmed
Upcoming events:
00:49:51 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:49:56 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
00:54:57 Payload deploy
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#61
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:35
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#62
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:36
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#63
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:37
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#64
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:37
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#65
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:42
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My contact in Santa Barbara, OliverVision, was not able to record a video as there was fog at his location.
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#66
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:45
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Thanks to GewoonLukas_ for covering the launch and doing the screen captures.
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#67
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:46
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Thanks to GewoonLukas_ for covering the launch and doing the screen captures.
And thank you Tony for doing the tweets!
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#68
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:47
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#69
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:49
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Summary Video (launch through landing)
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#70
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:51
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Full launch coverage up to the beginning of the coast phase (t+8:30)
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#71
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:52
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Mission Control
The second stage is currently not in sight of a groundstation, hence the lack of new telemetry or live views
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#72
by
gsa
on 11 Apr, 2024 14:54
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MECO
Stage-Sep
Stage 2 Ignition
Boostback-Burn start-up
This time there is a stiffening ring on the MVac. It seems to me, on the launches where a ring is not present there is some kind of torus-shaped stiffener inside the engine's bell which stays on the first stage after separation. I don't thing this stiffener was present here.
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#73
by
ZachS09
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:01
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At the time of fairing separation, there was a brief cutout of the Stage 2 camera feed.
I think it was done on purpose because usually, that would be the part where they show the fairing separation through the forward facing camera. And this is a national security mission too.
So don’t assume it was a real LOS.
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#74
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:03
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At the time of fairing separation, there was a brief cutout of the Stage 2 camera feed.
I think it was done on purpose because usually, that would be the part where they show the fairing separation through the forward facing camera. And this is a national security mission too.
So don’t assume it was a real LOS.
Thought the same "how convenient". But why stay on live coverage if we are not going to see deployment?
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#75
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:05
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At the time of fairing separation, there was a brief cutout of the Stage 2 camera feed.
I think it was done on purpose because usually, that would be the part where they show the fairing separation through the forward facing camera. And this is a national security mission too.
So don’t assume it was a real LOS.
Thought the same "how convenient". But why stay on live coverage if we are not going to see deployment?
Yeah that's the weird thing, and they've even shown images of the payload being encapsulated.
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#76
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:08
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At the time of fairing separation, there was a brief cutout of the Stage 2 camera feed.
I think it was done on purpose because usually, that would be the part where they show the fairing separation through the forward facing camera. And this is a national security mission too.
So don’t assume it was a real LOS.
Thought the same "how convenient". But why stay on live coverage if we are not going to see deployment?
Yeah that's the weird thing, and they've even shown images of the payload being encapsulated.
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#77
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:15
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Ignition!
Norminal
orbit confirmed
Payload deploy in 5 minutes
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#78
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:16
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#79
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:17
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#80
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:17
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Land on Land Landing = John Insprucker new terminology of RTLS otherwise called LOL Landing.
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#81
by
Alexphysics
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:20
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MECO
Stage-Sep
Stage 2 Ignition
Boostback-Burn start-up
This time there is a stiffening ring on the MVac. It seems to me, on the launches where a ring is not present there is some kind of torus-shaped stiffener inside the engine's bell which stays on the first stage after separation. I don't thing this stiffener was present here.
I believe what you're describing as a stiffener inside the engine bell is the foam support ring for the MVac which has been there for essentially all Falcon 9 v1.2 missions, it is not related to the lack of the stiffener ring.
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#82
by
GewoonLukas_
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:21
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Spacecraft separation confirmed!
Congratulations to SpaceX, Space Systems Command and BAE Systems on the successful launch!
End of webcast
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#83
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:21
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#84
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:26
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https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1778443821862264913William Harwood
@cbs_spacenews
F9/USSF-62: Payload deploy confirmed, bringing today's launch to a successful conclusion. Below left: deploy (SpaceX); below right: an artist's impression of the WSF-M satellite in operation (Ball Aerospace)
Secret payload shown below
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#85
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:29
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#86
by
FutureSpaceTourist
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:37
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#87
by
gsa
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:43
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MECO
Stage-Sep
Stage 2 Ignition
Boostback-Burn start-up
This time there is a stiffening ring on the MVac. It seems to me, on the launches where a ring is not present there is some kind of torus-shaped stiffener inside the engine's bell which stays on the first stage after separation. I don't thing this stiffener was present here.
I believe what you're describing as a stiffener inside the engine bell is the foam support ring for the MVac which has been there for essentially all Falcon 9 v1.2 missions, it is not related to the lack of the stiffener ring.
It's quite possible that you are right. But then I am totally baffled. Why sometimes there is the stiffener ring and sometimes there is not?
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#88
by
catdlr
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:55
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Cross Post
Congrats SpaceX Team & @SpaceForceDoD on completing 3 orbital Vandenberg launches in 11 days!
Might be a record.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
Congrats SpaceX Team &
@SpaceForceDoD
on completing 3 orbital Vandenberg launches in 11 days!
Might be a record.
From GSA: Nine and a half days actually.
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#89
by
Nosu
on 11 Apr, 2024 15:56
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Full rehost on YouTube by The Space Devs
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#90
by
ZachS09
on 11 Apr, 2024 16:16
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MECO
Stage-Sep
Stage 2 Ignition
Boostback-Burn start-up
This time there is a stiffening ring on the MVac. It seems to me, on the launches where a ring is not present there is some kind of torus-shaped stiffener inside the engine's bell which stays on the first stage after separation. I don't thing this stiffener was present here.
I believe what you're describing as a stiffener inside the engine bell is the foam support ring for the MVac which has been there for essentially all Falcon 9 v1.2 missions, it is not related to the lack of the stiffener ring.
It's quite possible that you are right. But then I am totally baffled. Why sometimes there is the stiffener ring and sometimes there is not?
I seem to recall in a Starlink launch thread that the stiffener ring was removed to reduce dry mass for additional payload capacity.
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#91
by
gsa
on 11 Apr, 2024 16:24
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Why sometimes there is the stiffener ring and sometimes there is not?
I seem to recall in a Starlink launch thread that the stiffener ring was removed to reduce dry mass for additional payload capacity.
But why sometimes it's needed and sometimes it's not? If you can remove it to save weight (or time or whatever), why add it back?
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#92
by
Bob Niland
on 11 Apr, 2024 16:32
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But why sometimes it's needed and sometimes it's not? If you can remove it to save weight (or time or whatever), why add it back?
My guess: customer preference.
It appears to be a recent Sx design tweak, and Sx may have decided that they don't need it for in-house payloads.
Customers may not be as adventurous, esp. for missions where the mass budget has so much margin that it allows for RTLS.
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#93
by
zubenelgenubi
on 11 Apr, 2024 16:49
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USSF apparently decided to use the lowest-use first stage available at Vandenberg.
Available first stages, with UTC date of most recent recovery:
1082.3 Feb 15 (Save for USSF-62 or WorldView Legion Flight 1?)
1061.20 Feb 23
1081.6 Mar 4 Starlink 8-1
1063.18 Mar 11
Edit April 5 UTC: It's B1081.6, skipping over B1082.3 and B1061.20.
Edit April 10: USSF-62 will launch on B1082.3.
Was this launch on the :00 second?
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1778429264322338904F9/USSF-62: LIFTOFF! At 10:25am EDT (1425 UTC).
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#94
by
ZachS09
on 11 Apr, 2024 17:13
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USSF apparently decided to use the lowest-use first stage available at Vandenberg.
Available first stages, with UTC date of most recent recovery:
1082.3 Feb 15 (Save for USSF-62 or WorldView Legion Flight 1?)
1061.20 Feb 23
1081.6 Mar 4 Starlink 8-1
1063.18 Mar 11
Edit April 5 UTC: It's B1081.6, skipping over B1082.3 and B1061.20.
Edit April 10: USSF-62 will launch on B1082.3.
Was this launch on the :00 second?
https://twitter.com/cbs_spacenews/status/1778429264322338904
F9/USSF-62: LIFTOFF! At 10:25am EDT (1425 UTC).
Seems that way to me.
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#95
by
Helodriver
on 11 Apr, 2024 18:02
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Had a nice view from a hillside a few miles north, the marine layer held offshore but there was a lot of early morning heat shimmer in the air. Beautiful launch and landing regardless.
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#96
by
edkyle99
on 11 Apr, 2024 21:48
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#97
by
nshire
on 11 Apr, 2024 22:19
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Had a nice view from a hillside a few miles north, the marine layer held offshore but there was a lot of early morning heat shimmer in the air. Beautiful launch and landing regardless.
Wow! I was down south in the mountains above Santa Barbara and my view was occluded for the first minute. Can I get some approximate coordinates for next time?
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#98
by
catdlr
on 12 Apr, 2024 03:41
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Had a nice view from a hillside a few miles north, the marine layer held offshore but there was a lot of early morning heat shimmer in the air. Beautiful launch and landing regardless.
Wow! I was down south in the mountains above Santa Barbara and my view was occluded for the first minute. Can I get some approximate coordinates for next time?
Welcome to the Forum. Helodriver takes those from the VSFB. I have a Google map with the approximate sightline that he took based on building references (satellite dish and the large brown building). There is a thread that you can read up on for views
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=41995.0
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#99
by
catdlr
on 12 Apr, 2024 05:06
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#100
by
catdlr
on 12 Apr, 2024 05:50
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#101
by
catdlr
on 12 Apr, 2024 07:23
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#102
by
jpo234
on 12 Apr, 2024 07:46
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Was this launch on the :00 second?
When exactly is T-0? The moment the hold down clamps are released?
Edit: Some more search found this answer:
What "actually" happens at T-minus-0The exact event defining T-0 is somewhat arbitrary, and different spacecraft operators can easily pick a different event to define it. Besides liftoff, I can certainly see value in defining T-0 as, for example, disconnection of some specific launch tower umbilical or, in the case of manned spacecraft, sealing of the crew access hatch. In reality, T-0 is a point of synchronization, and it's advantageous to keep it very close to liftoff as well as easy to define to a high degree of precision, but it is not really much more than that.
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#103
by
ZachS09
on 12 Apr, 2024 12:20
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Why is finding out if the launch occurred on the :00 second a big deal?
Is it worth bringing up?
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#104
by
Helodriver
on 12 Apr, 2024 20:53
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Had a nice view from a hillside a few miles north, the marine layer held offshore but there was a lot of early morning heat shimmer in the air. Beautiful launch and landing regardless.
Wow! I was down south in the mountains above Santa Barbara and my view was occluded for the first minute. Can I get some approximate coordinates for next time?
Try here, on base property but publicly accessible.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tm995yPSBWRf7xEC8
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#105
by
realnouns
on 13 Apr, 2024 04:14
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Go Beyond returned to PoLB on Apr 12 @ 3:37pm PT / 6:37pm ET
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#106
by
catdlr
on 13 Apr, 2024 23:35
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#107
by
shiro
on 14 Apr, 2024 17:44
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Some reusability stats for this launch (USSF-62/WSF-M 1):
Booster B1082.3 turnaround time:
55 days 16 hours 51 minutes(its previous mission was Starlink Group 7-14 on Feb 15, 2024 UTC).
FYI: median turnaround time for Falcon 9 / Heavy boosters is currently 46.97 days *
* – based on the last 30 launches, excluding new first stages.
Launchpad SLC-4E turnaround time:
4 days 12 hours 0 minutes(the previous launch from this pad was Starlink Group 8-1 on Apr 7, 2024 UTC).
It's the fastest turnaround ever for SLC-4E launchpad. The previous record was set just a few days ago (4 days 23 hours 55 minutes between Starlink Group 7-18 and Starlink Group 8-1 launches).
FYI: median turnaround time for SLC-4E is currently 10.97 days *
* – based on the last 30 launches.
The same type of stats for previous SpaceX launches may be found on
this spreadsheet online.
orbit confirmed 
