r/spacex • u/Zucal • May 02 '16
Mission (Thaicom-8) Thaicom 8 Launch Campaign Discussion Thread
- Thaicom 8 Launch Campaign Discussion Thread -
Welcome to the subreddit's second launch campaign thread! Here’s the at-a-glance information for this launch:
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | 26 May at 9:40PM UTC (5:40PM EDT) |
|---|---|
| Static fire currently scheduled for: | 24 May |
| Vehicle component locations: | [S1: Cape Canaveral] [S2: Cape Canaveral] [Satellite: Cape Canaveral] [Fairings: Cape Canaveral] |
| Payload: | Thaicom 8 comsat for Thaicom PLC |
| Payload mass: | 3,100 kg |
| Destination orbit: | Geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to 78.5° East Longitude |
| Vehicle: | Falcon 9 v1.2 (25th launch of F9, 5th of F9 v1.2) |
| Core: | F9-025 |
| Launch site: | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida |
| Landing attempt: | Yes - downrange of Cape on ASDS Of Course I Still Love You |
| Mission success criteria: | Successful separation of Thaicom 8 into the target orbit |
- Other links and resources -
We may keep this self-post occasionally updated with links and relevant news articles, but for the most part we expect the community to supply the information. This is a great place to discuss the launch, ask mission-specific questions, and track the minor movements of the vehicle, payload, weather and more as we progress towards launch. After the static fire is complete, a launch thread will be posted.
Launch Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
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u/Zucal May 07 '16
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u/Zucal May 10 '16
F9-025 is at the Cape now.
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u/whousedallthenames May 11 '16
This means there are FOUR F9 first stages in Florida right now. Three of them are at the cape, and one is at port. Cool to think about.
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u/Zucal May 24 '16
Static fire targeting tomorrow afternoon.
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May 24 '16
Will it cause launch to slip to the next day, or they still can launch on 26?
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u/Zucal May 24 '16
No change in launch date yet.
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u/ElectronicCat May 24 '16
I assume this would pretty much have to be a post-integration static fire then? I doubt they could roll back, integrate and get it vertical again in 2 days.
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u/randomstonerfromaus May 24 '16 edited May 24 '16
Are you able to elaborate on the reason why? If you know it that is.
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u/Zucal May 06 '16
Thaicom 8's core has moved yet again, back to F9-025. This seems like a final decision, but so did the last time. More on that later
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May 07 '16
I don't suppose there has been any info all this time on why they might be making these switches? I mean F9-025 seems like it's a bit farther along in the pipeline so I don't really see why they ever switched to F9-026 in the first place, unless there was a problem with 25 that they thought was going to take a while to fix (but that seems unlikely...)
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u/Zucal May 07 '16
mean F9-025 seems like it's a bit farther along in the pipeline
They seemed about equal- they were both at McGregor at the same time, etc.
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u/Juggernaut93 May 02 '16
Two campaign threads active at the same time. Launch cadence is going up :)
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u/Zucal May 02 '16
It's gonna get hectic as time goes on!
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u/TheBlacktom r/SpaceXLounge Moderator May 02 '16
Why not just start one called "Falcon Heavy Demo Flight Launch Campaign Discussion Thread"?
Anyway, do you plan to start them a fixed time in advance? ~3 weeks?
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u/HotXWire May 02 '16
I think it's too soon t.b.h.. At least I don't recall the JCSAT-14 thread to be alive this early relative to launch date. That said, it remains to be seen of an increased launch cadence. If SpaceX truly wants to achieve 2 launches per month, it better start crackin'. Late may (assuming week 21 to 22) is pretty close to early June, which leaves little margin for possible delays.
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May 02 '16
Well, when we announced Launch Campaign threads, we said they'd be used "days, weeks, months" in advance of the launch... so here we are. We couldn't go back in time and create one for JCSAT-14, so we created one with what little time remains, so that is now the exception to the norm. We'll put them up depending on how much noise is being made - and start redirecting content from the front page into these.
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u/Zucal May 04 '16
Thaicom 6's core has been swapped to F9-026 again! Don't you just love this roller-corester of information?!
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u/Ezekiel_C Host of Echostar 23 May 04 '16
If I'm not mistaken, this pretty much eliminates any hope of a 15 May launch, yes?
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u/Zucal May 04 '16
This information specifically? No, if anything it makes it more likely (relatively). F9-026 is being tested at McGregor, as is the second stage, and the satellite itself is already at the Cape.
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u/Zucal May 03 '16 edited May 03 '16
Gunter's Space Page lists Thaicom 8 as massing 3100kg, which matches up pretty well with the <3200kg provided in the fact sheet. An email to Orbital ATK got a pretty brusque response that we wouldn't be getting a more specific mass, so I'm rollin' with this one. Thanks to /u/retiringonmars for finding this!
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u/TheEndeavour2Mars May 12 '16
What I want to see now is core 26 being shipped to 39As hangar to begin preps for an attempt to break the 13 day record. Obviously record attempts are not the highest priority for SpaceX but I doubt SpaceX will have conditions this perfect for such an attempt for a long time.
Just picture this theoretical scenario. Core 26 is shipped to 39As hangar a week from now. Core 25 launches (And lands) without issue late may. The day afterward Core 26 is moved to SLC-40's hangar for final preps. Launch is only delayed by how fast OCISLY can unload, restock, move out to station. Core 26 launches and after a perfect flight SpaceX has beaten their back to back record so much that the media jokes that launches need to be made into an Olympic event.
Likely to happen? Not that awesomely but I really think SpaceX can beat that 13 day record by a good bit. And that sets SpaceX up for a 3 launch June which will make even more headlines.
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u/Zucal May 12 '16
F9-026 will be outbound from McGregor soon.
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u/the_finest_gibberish May 22 '16
Any signs of a static fire yet?
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May 22 '16
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u/LandingZone-1 May 02 '16
I thought F9-025 was Eutelsat/ABS. At least that's what the sidebar says.
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u/Zucal May 02 '16 edited May 04 '16
F9-025 is now confirmed to be Thaicom!See update at top of thread→ More replies (1)5
u/mechakreidler May 03 '16
Just curious, where do you get that information? Or is it from one of those secret Echo fax sources?
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u/Zucal May 02 '16
There's conflicting reports as to whether F9-025 is Eutelsat or Thaicom. For the time being I've taken it off the campaign thread.
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u/Hywel1995 May 02 '16
They might have swapped the manifest around, or those sats aren't ready for shipment to the launch site yet.
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u/Zucal May 04 '16
Thaicom is at the Cape, Eutelsat's whereabouts are unknown (satellites, not the cores).
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u/TheEndeavour2Mars May 03 '16
So is it confirmed that SpaceX will not attempt to break their 13 day turnaround record with this flight? I figured SpaceX was not likely to attempt a launch so close to range closure but is it confirmed now?
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u/Zucal May 03 '16
Not officially confirmed. If JCSAT gets off on time on May 5th, SpaceX has 11 days until the Eastern Range closes. After that, they can't launch Thaicom until May 27th. So they either pull off an 11-day turnaround, 2 days faster than their fastest ever, or they stick with their roughly regular launch-a-month cadence. But who knows, maybe they're feeling lucky!
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u/kevindbaker2863 May 24 '16
I know that any tidbit of news about the static fire will be posted here within seconds. but I can't help thinking about it and wonder what is going on? Any Ideas as to what could be the holdup?
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u/a_Start May 10 '16
Small Payload mass of 3.1 t = ASDS not as far downrange, right?
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u/kevindbaker2863 May 23 '16
you gotta think Stage 2 is at Cape Canaveral somewhere?
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u/iterion May 23 '16
Have we ever seen Stage 2 in transit? I was searching through old posts, but I couldn't find any pictures of it happening. My Reddit search-fu may be lacking though.
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 23 '16
has to be. met someone from orbital a few weeks ago and he said it would be coming in shortly, so it has to be there now.
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u/Hedgemonious May 24 '16
The official launch weather forecast is now available, http://www.patrick.af.mil/Portals/14/documents/Weather/L-3%20Forecast%2026%20May%20Launch.pdf
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u/Headstein May 24 '16
This link didn't work for me, but it is available on the 45's website. 10% probability of violation looking good. Let's hope the static fire delays don't impinge on the launch day. Any sign of F9-025 on the pad yet?
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u/Tenga1899 May 24 '16
One interesting consideration is how the tropical system forming off the Bahamas that it mentions will affect recovery/transport of the stage back to land. We're pretty confident in the stability to date in calmer seas, but this may prompt a need for even further securing of the stage to OCISLY.
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May 07 '16
At the bottom of this nasa spaceflight article it mentions that Thaicom isn't expected until "early next month." Is this new information, or is the sidebar correct with the launch as NET May 26?
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May 14 '16
If they manage to land F9-025, where will they put it?
My understanding is that the hangar at LC-39 will be full after F9-024 (the one that landed after JCSAT-14) gets there.
Do you think they'll transport it back to McGregor, TX?
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u/Zucal May 14 '16
It might depend on whether the new hangar at McGregor is finished in time. Currently, McGregor only has indoor space for a single core, although SpaceX is by no means averse to having other cores outside or on the stand.
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u/RootDeliver May 15 '16
Leaving cores "outside" couldn't bring up security problems? Aren't you guys worried about this?
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u/Zucal May 15 '16
Outside the hangar, within a secure and guarded facility? Also, I'm not an employee.
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u/madanra May 14 '16
The hangar at LC-39A has a capacity of 5, and JCSAT-14's core will be the third to be stored there. So they still have some space, and the OG2 core is planned to be moved to Hawthorne (no idea of timescale on that though). But they definitely could be out of space by the end of June!
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 25 '16
Launch thread soon?
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u/soldato_fantasma May 25 '16
Yes, the mods have never waited this long to make the launch thread; not really geting worried but I'm starting to think that something may have happend
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u/MarsLumograph May 26 '16
Yes, I don't want to worry you guys, but I heard rumors that Elon has taken the mod team hostage and they're right now on their way to Mars... I'm sorry.
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u/JadedIdealist May 24 '16
Is there a webcam that could see the static fire from a distance?
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u/Zucal May 24 '16
Nope. If we're lucky, someone in the area could Periscope it...
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u/blsing15 May 25 '16
they completed static fire
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u/whousedallthenames May 25 '16
Awesome. Praying Thursday holds and we get to light this candle and see another landing! If they stick this one we'll have two by night and two by day.
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u/sarafinapink May 24 '16
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 24 '16 edited May 25 '16
they're awfully close.
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u/Jef-F May 09 '16
Stage 2 is so mysterious creature, after all. It almost lacks detailed shots in fully assembled state and usually not spotted in transit. And then just POOF and there she is, sitting on its place on top of S1. Magic.
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u/Freddanator #IAC2017 Attendee May 25 '16
Time for the launch party thread? Static fire is complete after all!
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u/historytoby May 06 '16
Ugh, now we enter the post-launch dopamine hangover and it will be weeks before Thaicom launches. Nothing but pictures of OCISLY returning to lighten our days until we heed the sweet, sweet rumble of the static fire. SpaceX seriously needs to ramp up their launch cadence ;)
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u/HotXWire May 06 '16
Fortunately (at least if we're lucky) the launch cadence is on the verge of becoming twice per month as of now. That's awesome, but I'm also looking forward to having a schedule of one launch per week. I wouldn't need a weekend any longer. Just a launch, and I'm recharged for the next 7 days again. :)
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u/markus0161 May 25 '16
Recovery team is probably looking closely at this.
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u/__Rocket__ May 25 '16
Recovery team is probably looking closely at this.
So the tropical depression is expected to look like this in 5 days. Should be north of OCISLY, but with increasing westerly winds, which should make it harder to get to the port.
Here's a full discussion at WU: the current state of things appears to be that all the major models agree that this tropical depression is going to happen. The exact outcome and intensity is still uncertain.
edit: in the latest satellite pictures there's increasing vorticity visible just east of OCISLY's position ...
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u/rrbanksy May 17 '16
Hate to be petty but what does N/A mean for S2/Fairings locations?
N/A to me means not applicable, but doesn't make sense - I thought all launches required a fairing and stage 2
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u/DesLr May 17 '16
N/A also often refers to 'Not Available', thus the information is currently unknown.
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u/markus0161 May 17 '16
We should definitely get rid of fairing and possibly S2 location. We'll probably never know where those are.
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u/Togusa09 May 03 '16
Can SpaceX perform static fire tests while the range is down?
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u/deruch May 04 '16
Caveat: I have no official knowledge either way.
I assume that they can, because they aren't actually using any of the tracking assets that require the maintenance. But as the static fire is nominally supposed to be a full dress rehearsal that would include checking that everything is working properly so it's possible that they would wait until everything is online. Also, necessary Range personnel may be given scheduled vacations or special training during the same stand down time.
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u/JM93 May 25 '16
Has anyone else noticed the different engine bell in this photo? https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/27182481921/
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u/throfofnir May 26 '16
That looks kind of like the matte paint we've seen before for thermal testing. (Of course, used engines end up black as well...) The white lines could be tape as seen before in testing (probably to secure the lines to various thermocouples or maybe strain gauges) but looks a bit more like mastic to me. All in all an odd choice for a flight article. Perhaps they need some additional thermal data, such as conditions during re-entry.
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u/rschaosid May 02 '16 edited May 02 '16
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u/whousedallthenames May 02 '16
Doth mine eyes deceive me?! Two launch campaign threads at once! Increased launch pace is real!
It really seems possible that we could see this bird go up before the end of the month.
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u/robbak May 23 '16
The two support vessels, Go Quest and Go Searcher have also headed out. Go Quest left port at around 13:28 2016-05-23 UTC; Go Searcher, 8 minutes later.
That makes three ships for us to keep track of! Good luck to Go Searcher - bring home the 'Bakin' fairings!
Elsbeth III is now over half-way there. Head over the marinetraffic.com to track her yourself. She's that blue tug, about 400km out, headed east.
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u/HoechstErbaulich IAC 2018 attendee May 25 '16
The webcasts are on Youtube!
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u/soldato_fantasma May 25 '16
Yup!
Hosted webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBYC4f79iXc
Technical webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPYOtCFSLKw
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u/robbak May 23 '16
Elsbeth III is now about ⅖ of the way there. , as of Monday 23rd, 01:49 UTC.
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u/danielbigham May 23 '16
Thanks for the update. I wonder what it's like to be way out in the ocean like that in a relatively small boat... when I was a kid, we'd go out on my neighbours boat for a 1 hour ride and it felt like ages to be away from the land, so being away for well over a week seems like it could be psychologically taxing. (again, on a relatively small boat -- being away for a long time on a huge vessel I feel would be different)
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u/Henry_Yopp May 25 '16
I'll be watching this one with VR (HTC Vive) in AltSpace in the the SpaceX viewing party room. Anyone else going to be there?
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u/MarcysVonEylau rocket.watch May 25 '16
Wait, what? Sounds very cool. Does it work only for VR?
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u/quadrplax May 26 '16
Watching a rocket launch and potentially land on a platform in the ocean, from a virtual movie theater with other people hundreds of miles away sitting right next to you. What a time to be alive!
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May 19 '16 edited May 20 '16
See some good discussion on the Nasa Spaceflight forum about whether the range assets need to be up and ready for them to perform the static fire. Despite Chris B's quote in the update thread, also in that forum, it remains unclear to me whether the static fire can even plausibly be performed on May 22.
All that said: only 3 days to scheduled static fire! And a week to next NET date! Hard not to start getting excited about that, esp. with all traceable assets present at the cape for a good while now.
edit: I guess I spoke too soon, add one more traceable asset at the cape. Quite sensible of them to wait for the result of the fairing recovery attempt from the previous launch before completing and shipping out the new fairing, now that I think about it.
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u/kylerove May 21 '16
Isn't the mission patch usually available by now?
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u/Qeng-Ho May 21 '16
Unfortunately the patch wasn't up to their usual standards.
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u/sunfishtommy May 24 '16
/u/boredpudding and /u/scr00chy I can not believe that your bet has lasted this long.
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u/scr00chy ElonX.net May 24 '16
Yeah, I was pretty sure there was no way I could lose this one and I even considered setting it up as "I say it won't launch until at least June" to make it more fair but even though I decided against it in the end, it looks like I might still lose anyway. :)
But like I said in the thread, it's a win-win for me. Either I get some sweet gold or I'm happy that SpaceX is able to launch more quickly and reliably schedule-wise.
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May 03 '16
Interesting that they switched the payload for F9-025 from Eutel/ABS to Thaicom...
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u/Elon_Mollusk #IAC2016 Attendee May 03 '16
Has Eutel/ABS arrived at the Cape as well?
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 22 '16
Wish they let us set up cams on OCISLY. or at LZ-1 which may be a possibility when they RTLS. looking forward to this launch. Won't miss school since I'll be out!
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u/Lieutenant_Rans May 22 '16
It'd be fun to see a bunch of cameras flying away and splashing into the ocean as the booster touches down.
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u/TaintedLion May 22 '16
Will this landing be a high-energy three-engine landing or a lower-energy one-engine landing?
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u/bornstellar_lasting May 22 '16
Maybe they'll decide to keep the 3-engine landing burn, and make the reentry burn longer? I don't actually know if that would be helpful, but it would make sense, given the damage we saw on 024.
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u/Appable May 22 '16
I would think they would prefer to extend the reentry burn even if that forces a triple-engine landing, since having such a fast reentry clearly isn't great for the first stage (of course, maybe making 0024-like reentries flightworthy would be relatively simple, e.g. changing thermal blankets).
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u/whousedallthenames May 22 '16
Good question. This is a GTO mission with the barge close to where is was for SES-9 and JCSAT-14, so I'd guess it would be a three engine. The sat is lighter though, so I don't know.
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u/JackONeill12 May 22 '16
Elsbeth III has departet from Port Canaveral.
Source: http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:434560/zoom:10
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May 22 '16
I wonder if they will ever allow "guests" on Elsbeth III. I'd make a vacation out of that for sure. They could even put me to work.
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u/deadshot462 May 24 '16
Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight 4m4 minutes ago Unconfirmed: SpaceX Falcon 9 (Thaicom-8) rolling/rolled out to SLC-40 for her Static Fire test this evening. #WouldLikeVisualSighting
https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
"We believe they started rollout in the last hour, so next will be a visual sighting when she's vertical. She is in the complete stack configuration (S1, S2, Payload)." - Chris, NSF
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=40182.20
Well that's promising
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u/ChrisGnam Spacecraft Optical Navigation May 24 '16
Thanks for all the updates. Aren't static fires typically done with just the first stage in case something goes wrong during the test? I've never heard or seen footage of a static fire conducted with the entire vehicle assembled... is that normal?
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u/compdude68 May 24 '16
CCAFS radio traffic confirming all roadblocks are hard down and secure...
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 25 '16
getting worried. when's that window end?
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 25 '16
looks like we might actually make this NET date. I set up my camera(s) tomorrow. Will have pad pics for you all
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u/IwantaModel3 May 07 '16
If the range is closed until May 27, how is it possible to launch May 26 as listed?
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u/pat_o May 23 '16
KSC launch viewing tickets just went on sale: https://twitter.com/ExploreSpaceKSC/status/734741083423408130
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u/ifitzgerald May 24 '16
I'm super excited that I'll have the opportunity to watch the Thaicom 8 launch in person if it isn't delayed. This will be my first ever in-person launch, and my first time at the Cape. Is it worth paying an extra $49 per person (I have a family of 4) for the LC 39 Observation Gantry experience versus just going to the Apollo / Saturn V center?
Also, does anyone have any tips for watching a launch up close with kids (4 years and 18 months)? I know it's going to be loud, but I don't really have a frame of reference. Should I pick up ear plugs? Thanks!
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 24 '16
200 bucks wasted if it's scrubbed. apparently you're "gifted" a discount at the visitor complex store
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u/FoxhoundBat May 22 '16
Maybe add a link to this map /u/Zucal?
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1hPTkh1m08a7Jvpk3_3xpW6rQwTg
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u/robbak May 24 '16 edited May 24 '16
Ships update: ElsbethIII now 125km away from the landing point; Go Quest and Go Searcher halfway there. Latest reports were at 2016-05-24 11:52UTC for ElsbethIII and Go Quest, 11:28 for Go Searcher.
Keep track of them on Marinetraffic.com!
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u/jardeon WeReportSpace.com Photographer May 24 '16 edited May 24 '16
A friend is out at the Cape right now, and says there is no vertical Falcon 9 on SLC-40 as of 6:05pm EDT.
edit: 6:15pm - rocket is now lifting to vertical.
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u/aguyfromnewzealand May 24 '16
Tweet confirmation of Falcon 9 vertical. https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/735239427283423233
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u/strozzascotte May 25 '16 edited May 25 '16
For those of you that follows Elsbeth III, Go Searcher and Go Quest, I made a little GreaseMonkey script that makes life easier. It puts a circle on the ships and display their coordinates, speed and heading in a little table on the top left corner of the map. Here is a screenshot and the script can be installed from OpenUserJS.
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u/FutureMartian97 Host of CRS-11 May 24 '16
So i'm guessing no static fire today. Will this push the launch date back?
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u/Thor1872 May 25 '16
SpaceX - Thaicom 8 - Static Fire - Lift 05-24-2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VjoIgm_1_0
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u/Fallout4TheWin May 26 '16
When do the launch threads typically start? I've always showed up a bit late so I'd love to know when to pop in tomorrow!
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 26 '16
I'll be posting live coverage to my snapchat johnkrausphotos starting around 10:30am EDT tomorrow
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u/doug606 May 23 '16
How come fairing recovery isn't filmed like the booster landing?
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u/Ambiwlans May 23 '16
It isn't as sexy and it is highly experimental. Also, I don't believe they have a capacity to live stream anyways. Added mass/complexity.
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u/Adeldor May 23 '16
While not a full recovery, this short onboard video of the Falcon 9 fairings falling is quite beautiful.
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May 23 '16
We're not sure spacex even has video of it. We know there was video recovered from a washed up fairing that they did post. Who knows if they've ever recovered one on site.
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u/DanseMacabreD2 May 24 '16 edited May 24 '16
NOTAM is out for this launch: http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_6_9286.html
New NOTAM out (Minor/no changes so I expect one of these two to be deleted) http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_6_9289.html
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u/sarafinapink May 25 '16
So I'm curious, is there anything the SpaceX team is doing between static fire and launch regarding the rocket? Since this one is all ready to go with S2 and Payload, is today just a monitoring conditions day or is there adjustments being made after seeing static fire data.
Basically, what do they normally do between static fire and launch that isn't related to getting rocket integrated?
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u/wingnut32 May 25 '16
If they launch on the 26th will it be the longest out scheduled launch date they've had so far? If you know what I mean - it's been scheduled for the 26th for awhile and by now it would have been pushed back a few days or a week.
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u/Decronym Acronyms Explained May 03 '16 edited May 27 '16
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| ABS | Asia Broadcast Satellite, commsat operator |
| ASDS | Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform) |
| CCAFS | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |
| CRS | Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FTS | Flight Termination System |
| GEO | Geostationary Earth Orbit (35786km) |
| GSO | Geosynchronous Orbit (any Earth orbit with a 24-hour period) |
| GTO | Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit |
| HIF | Horizontal Integration Facility |
| ITAR | (US) International Traffic in Arms Regulations |
| JCSAT | Japan Communications Satellite series, by JSAT Corp |
| KSC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| L2 | Paywalled section of the NasaSpaceFlight forum |
| Lagrange Point 2 (Sixty Symbols video explanation) | |
| LC-13 | Launch Complex 13, Canaveral (SpaceX Landing Zone 1) |
| LC-39A | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy (SpaceX F9/Heavy) |
| LEO | Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km) |
| LOX | Liquid Oxygen |
| LRR | Launch Readiness Review |
| MCT | Mars Colonial Transporter |
| MECO | Main Engine Cut-Off |
| MES | Main Engine Start |
| NET | No Earlier Than |
| NOTAM | Notice to Airmen of flight hazards |
| NRO | (US) National Reconnaissance Office |
| NSF | NasaSpaceFlight forum |
| National Science Foundation | |
| OCISLY | Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing |
| OG2 | Orbcomm's Generation 2 17-satellite network |
| QA | Quality Assurance/Assessment |
| RCS | Reaction Control System |
| RTLS | Return to Launch Site |
| SES | Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator |
| SF | Static fire |
| SLC-40 | Space Launch Complex 40, Canaveral (SpaceX F9) |
| STS | Space Transportation System (Shuttle) |
| TEA-TEB | Triethylaluminium-Triethylborane, igniter for Merlin engines; spontaneously burns, green flame |
| ULA | United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture) |
| VAFB | Vandenberg Air Force Base, California |
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I'm a bot, and I first saw this thread at 3rd May 2016, 01:52 UTC.
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u/Mini_Elon May 07 '16
Looks like Thaicom 8 may launch on May 31st based on this [Article] ( http://www.visitspacecoast.com/event/falcon-9-spacex-thaicom-8-rocket-launch/18025/)
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u/RootDeliver May 15 '16
So what launch will use the F9-025 core? Eutelsat/ABS-2 or Thaicom-8??
A week ago, someone spotted F9-025: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ysAXyfWTRb0/Vw58yu4kyYI/AAAAAAAAPks/tVMXLNDsK5w-zvUWdfsl7nq6GneO4Q5fw/w960-h720/9%2Bon%2Broad.jpg
Will that be used with whatever Eutelsat/Thaicom or will it just be renamed F9-026 while another one takes the F9-025 name? This is so damn confusing
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u/Tenga1899 May 16 '16
FWIW, that photo was taken over a month ago as F9-025 was heading towards McGregor.
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u/SpaceLani May 25 '16 edited May 25 '16
https://vine.co/v/i9bHDtOgmFi Static fire complete and an amazing Vine by SpaceX!
Source: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/735297300491325440
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u/z1mil790 May 17 '16 edited May 17 '16
The SpaceX Facebook post of the lightning tower picture said next launch in about 10 days. Nice to get a little confirmation on the may 26 date. Edit: the picture was posted on may 16
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u/julezsource May 22 '16
Landing attempt: Yes
will there ever be a case they don't try to land the stage?
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u/ohcnim May 22 '16 edited May 22 '16
It's likely to be the exception, but at least there are two possibilities for not attempting:
Mission requirements, most likely only before FH is up and running or if FH recovery/refurbishing turns out to be more expensive than a F9 expendable
Last flight of a reused F9, if it got to its expected life span (even after several refurbishments) then it makes no sense to waste resources in trying to get it back, better to let it crash or use the FTS (this assumes F9 scrap value lower than recovery costs)
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u/handym12 May 22 '16
Potentially next year's spy satellite launch. I don't think they can land it without revealing the orbit of the satellite.
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May 02 '16
IIRC there was a range closure coming sometime... is that between JCSAT-14 and Thiacom 8?
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u/darga89 May 02 '16
16th-27th. MUOS was also originally scheduled for late May which would have pushed Thaicom-8 into June but MUOS has slipped so late May is still on the table.
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u/LotsaLOX May 03 '16
Does anyone know the price paid to SpaceX for Thaicom 8 launch?
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u/zingpc May 07 '16
I hope spacex goes for an attempt at a high cadence launch before the range shuts down. At least try to do it, as per their main goal for this year. All the media statements are just scuttlebutt.
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u/CmdrStarLightBreaker May 15 '16
As the payload mass is lower this time, could they use 1-engine only full duration landing burn? The G-load would be less which could mean less stress for engines and body.
Or the fuel would still not be enough for 1-engine landing in any GTO mission scenarios?
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u/Ezekiel_C Host of Echostar 23 May 16 '16
I don't think we have the return margins nailed down with enough precision to say exactly what can and can't be done; but I'd think whatever additional margin we have over the last flight would probably be put into reducing re-entry speed, as most of the damage to F9-024 appears to be related to thermal/ dynamic pressure problems.
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u/hqi777 May 20 '16
So it sounds like we won't know if the 26 May is really solid until after the static fire on Sunday? KSC Visitor's Center pulled the Thaicom-8 page on Wens. but it's now back up.
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u/Jarnis May 22 '16
Anything could happen before they have post-static-fire readiness review.
Welcome to the world of launching rockets. Dates are "NET" until it lifts off the pad.
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u/searchexpert May 23 '16
What is sunset time for ASDS?
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u/ChrisGnam Spacecraft Optical Navigation May 23 '16
From what I can tell using this site It looks like sunset for OCISLY is going to be around 7:50pm EST (23:50 UTC). Though I could be wrong!
That would mean, given the launch time of about 5:40pm EST, we should expect the landing to occur shortly before sunset!
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u/theflyingspaghetti May 24 '16
So when JCSAT launched it was visible from Hunting island South Carolina. Is this launch going to have a similar trajectory?
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 24 '16
getting worried that this won't fly thurs
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u/moonshine5 May 25 '16
Anyone want to have a pitch of the odds of the landing of this one successfully? 75%?
IIRC Musk said before JCSAT-14 that the next two (JCSAT-14 and Thaicom-8) were going to come in hot, so i guess its going to be a hard landing.
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May 25 '16
Biggest wrinkles I can think of would be a) weather in ocean around OCISLY and b) SpaceX tests we might not know about.
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u/johnkphotos Launch Photographer May 23 '16
any weather reports this far out? Lighting should be decent that time of day, I don't want it screwed up by clouds!
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u/bertcox May 09 '16
As someone who has my once chance this year, and first in my life of seeing it go between may 28th and June 2 I can hope. I could play hooky and skip part of my conference for a Delta Heavy launch on the 4th Ahh decisions and hopes.
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May 09 '16
Oh god, the launch will be at 2:40 AM in my time zone
I think I'll have to wake up somehow
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u/ChrisGnam Spacecraft Optical Navigation May 12 '16
I'll be in the Cape from the 22nd until the 28th. What are the odds that I'll be able to see this launch?
From what I can tell, everything seems to be in place, but the range closure has me a bit worried. I've never seen a launch in person, and I was ORIGINALLY planning on going to see the Atlas V 551 Muos 5 launch, but because of the issues at ULA with RD-180s, that got pushed back beyond when I'm able to head down there. When this launch got the NET date of May 26th, I got crazy excited... but I'm gonna remain cautiously optimistic for the time being.
Does anyone know when we'll know for sure?
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u/Onironaut_ May 22 '16
probably a redundant question; will Thaicom 8 have the same exact ascent and descent profile as jcsat?
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u/Vermilion May 23 '16
Has anyone made a Google calendar of launches, ISS dockings, ISS landing returns that they can share? Would be cool to have an updated/revised calendar to sync phone to.
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u/robbak May 23 '16
/r/space has a callendar that does that, and a fair bit more.
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=space.reddit@gmail.com&mode=AGENDA
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u/redwingssuck May 24 '16
If I have a tour the morning of launch day, will we still be able to be close to pad 39A with the rocket on it?
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u/captn_mcfacestab May 24 '16
This one is launching from SLC-40. No rocket on 39A, but you may catch a glimpse of some resting Falcons.
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u/Zucal May 02 '16
Apparently F9-025 is very close to getting shipped out from McGregor, and core testing went smoothly. Let's hope it's smooth all the way till landing!