SpaceX F9 : Bandwagon 1 Rideshare : KSC LC-39A : 7 April 2024 (23:16 UTC)

[zubenelgenubi]

Would be nice to know for sure if the Project 425 sats are on Bandwagon flights or not.

I'm sure members are watching for the possible delivery flight from the Republic of Korea.  Re: Project 425 F1:

There was an Antonov flight from Incheon to Vandenberg.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Japanese radar Earth observation satellite operator iQPS' QPS-SAR-7 "TSUKUYOMI-II” is on board:

https://i-qps.net/en/news/1853/

2024.03.12

QPS-SAR-7 to launch on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission

Fukuoka, JAPAN – March 13, 2024- Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS) announced the its SAR satellite, QPS-SAR-7, named “TSUKUYOMI-II” will be launched to a mid-inclination orbit (MIO), altitude 500-605km during SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission no earlier than April 2024.

“We are very much pleased to be working with SpaceX for the third time, following QPS-SAR-2 and QPS-SAR-6, and now with QPS-SAR-7.” said Shunsuke Onishi, CEO of iQPS, Inc. “This mission, Bandwagon, is a new rideshare service by SpaceX that will launch satellites into mid-inclination orbits. Since our goal is to build a constellation of small SAR satellites mainly by launching them into inclined orbit, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have made efforts to take advantage of this opportunity, the first launch of this service. We would like to build up a solid track record so that we can continue to launch satellites one after another in the future.”

[gongora]

Would be nice to know for sure if the Project 425 sats are on Bandwagon flights or not.

I'm sure members are watching for the possible delivery flight from the Republic of Korea.  Re: Project 425 F1:

There was an Antonov flight from Incheon to Vandenberg.

I was too busy to pay attention last week.
March 4/5: Incheon -> Anchorage -> SLF (or whatever it's called these days)

[GewoonLukas_]

Would be nice to know for sure if the Project 425 sats are on Bandwagon flights or not.

I'm sure members are watching for the possible delivery flight from the Republic of Korea.  Re: Project 425 F1:

There was an Antonov flight from Incheon to Vandenberg.

I was too busy to pay attention last week.
March 4/5: Incheon -> Anchorage -> SLF (or whatever it's called these days)

This confirms it's part of Bandwagon-1:

https://www.donga.com/news/Politics/article/all/20240314/123961139/1?ref=main [Mar 14]

The launch date of our military's second reconnaissance satellite has been tentatively set for the 3rd of next month. Unless there are variables such as weather, it is scheduled to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, USA.

A military official explained, “Unit 2 is our military’s second reconnaissance satellite, but it is our first launch as a SAR satellite.” The military is pursuing the 425 project to secure reconnaissance satellites, which are the core of a ‘kill chain’ (preemptive strike) against North Korea.

[crandles57]

Launch photography and next spaceflight have it from 39A.

22March dragon CRS-30 to 3 April is under 12 days.

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated March 16; my bold:

The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the CRS-30 cargo Dragon resupply mission to the ISS from pad 40 on March 21 at 4:55 p.m. EDT. The first stage will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 39A on March 22 at 7:55 p.m. or later EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch the Eutelsat 36D television satellite from pad 40 on late March. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission from pad 39A on April 3 at 1:24 p.m. EDT. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches.

Launch photography and next spaceflight have it from 39A.

[OceanCat]

It appears tomorrow.io slipped off the bandwagon.

From: Kristina Hloptsidis <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 2:03 PM
To: Julia Malette <[email protected]>

I wanted to send a follow up on our previously discussed grant need date, following discussions with SpaceX today, our new need date is mid May (5/15/2024).

[gongora]

Could have up to 5 Lynk satellites (Tower 2/7/8/9/10?)

SAT-MOD-20230824-00210
SAT-MOD-20240108-00006

There doesn't appear to be any resolution on Lynk's request to use the 45 degree orbit.

[GewoonLukas_]

Ben Cooper (Updated March 21st)

A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 1:24 p.m. EDT.

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

[zubenelgenubi]

Ben Cooper (Updated March 21st)

A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 1:24 p.m. EDT.

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

Note LC-39A is no longer listed as launch pad.


Also, does the Project 425 satellite place restrictions on which pad (KSC vs CCSFS) can or cannot be used (because it's a ROK military satellite)?

(I know that foreign military satellites have often been launched from Florida and Vandenberg.)

[PM3]

Ben Cooper (Updated March 21st)

A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 1:24 p.m. EDT.

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

Note LC-39A is no longer listed as launch pad.

And the 7th now is also no longer listed:

A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April at 1:24 p.m. EDT.

[gongora]

I'm going to be annoyed if they move it to eclipse day

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Still somewhere within early April:
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240325003600315 [Mar 25]

[zubenelgenubi]

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated March 28 before NROL-70 launch; my bold:

The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Eutelsat 36D television satellite from pad 39A on March 30 at 5:52-8:00 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on March 30 earliest at 6-10 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 5-9 p.m. EDT. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7.

Noting the return of the April 7 launch date, but time not mentioned.  Launch time would change as Bandwagon does not launch to SSO.  Also, launch pad is not yet given.

Extrapolating from the launch time on April 3, 17:24 UTC, forward four days, launch time would be circa 16:00 UTC = ~12:00 noon EDT.

[GewoonLukas_]

Extrapolating from the launch time on April 3, 17:24 UTC, forward four days, launch time would be circa 16:00 UTC = ~12:00 noon EDT.

NextSpaceflight (Updated March 28th) has 23:02 as the launch time:
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/7237

[zubenelgenubi]

Extrapolating from the launch time on April 3, 17:24 UTC, forward four days, launch time would be circa 16:00 UTC = ~12:00 noon EDT.

NextSpaceflight (Updated March 28th) has 23:02 as the launch time:
https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/7237

And, launch from LC-39A, and confirming first stage landing at LZ-1.

[zubenelgenubi]

Which first stage will be used for this launch?
(semi-rhetorical question)

Falcon 9 first stages are now apparently cleared for use up to twenty times for non-crewed launches, although that number is apparently more restricted for Cargo Dragon or Cygnus than these other payloads.

1064.6 and 1065.6 are the Falcon Heavy side boosters for Europa Clipper.  1072.1 and 1086.1 are assigned as the Falcon Heavy side boosters for GOES-U.

1073.14 and 1076.13 may undergo modifications to become Falcon Heavy side boosters for a future launch, but both are currently available for "single-stick" launches.

Available first stages, with UTC date of most recent recovery:
1069.14  Feb 25  Starlink 6-47
1083.2    Mar 4    (Save for a crewed or ISS cargo mission?  Or a Galileo pair?)
1073.14  Mar 4
1077.12  Mar 10
1062.20  Mar 16  (maybe)

Edit April 5: It's B1073.14, skipping over B1083.2.

[zubenelgenubi]

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated after the two Falcon 9 launches on March 30/31 UTC; my bold:

The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 2-6 a.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 7:17 p.m. EDT. The first stage will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches.

Ben Cooper's Launch Photography Viewing Guide; updated later March 31 UTC; my bold:

The next SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Starlink batch from pad 40 on April 5 around 2:15-6:15 a.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 7:17 p.m. EDT. The first stage will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch. Upcoming launches include more Starlink batches. A Falcon 9 will launch two Galileo navigation system satellites for Europe on late April.

For some reason, there's no mention of the launch pad for this launch.

[shiro]

A Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on April 7 at 7:17 p.m. EDT. The first stage will land back at the Cape about eight minutes after launch.

A rocket launch during the golden hour? I hope the weather cooperates and we'll have some great photos!

[gongora]

In response to inquiries from the Space Bureau, HawkEye 360, Inc. (“HE360”) submits this letter providing additional information about the deployment parameters for the Cluster 8 and 9 satellites. Specifically, the satellites are expected to be deployed into a nominal 590 km (+/- 20 km) circular orbit with an inclination between 45° and 46°.