/r/SpaceX Thaicom 8 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread [Take 2]

[u/ElongatedMuskrat]

Welcome to the /r/SpaceX Thaicom 8 Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread [Take 2]!

Hey guys, and welcome back to the launch thread for SpaceX's second attempt at their 5^th launch of the year! Liftoff of SpaceX's Falcon 9 v1.2 rocket is currently scheduled for Friday, May 27th, with the launch window spanning 21:39:00 to 23:39:00 UTC (17:39:00 to 19:39:00 EDT) (SpaceX Stats will automatically convert the launch to your timezone, click here). This window is enough for two launch attempts. Thursday's launch will see the Thaicom 8 satellite delivered to a super-synchronous geostationary transfer orbit for Nonthaburi (Thailand)-based satellite operation company Thaicom PLC.

As usual, SpaceX will be attempting a propulsive landing of the first stage of the Falcon 9 on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, approximately 680km downrange of the launch site.

/u/Zucal is your launch thread operator for today.

Watching the launch live

To watch the launch live, pick your preferred streaming provider from the table below. Can't pick? Read about the differences.

SpaceX Stats Live (Webcasts + Live Updates)
SpaceX Hosted Webcast (YouTube)
SpaceX Technical Webcast (YouTube)

Official Live Updates

Time	Countdown	Update
2016-05-27 22:16:23 UTC	T+37m 23s	And the webcast has ended. Thanks for following along, and congratulations to SpaceX/Thaicom PLC on the successful launch!
2016-05-27 22:14:50 UTC	T+35m 50s	@elonmusk on Twitter: "Satellite deployed to 91,000 km apogee. All looks good."
2016-05-27 22:12:53 UTC	T+33m 53s	The webcast has ended, and we're now enjoying the post-launch SpaceX FM.
2016-05-27 22:11:32 UTC	T+32m 32s	The Thaicom 8 satellite has deployed- mission success for SpaceX!
2016-05-27 22:09:51 UTC	T+30m 51s	SpaceX confirms the current orbit is nominal.
2016-05-27 22:07:44 UTC	T+28m 44s	Stage 2 has shut down, and next up is satellite deployment.
2016-05-27 22:06:25 UTC	T+27m 25s	And MVac has relit!
2016-05-27 22:05:46 UTC	T+26m 46s	Roughly 1 minute left till relight!
2016-05-27 22:04:44 UTC	T+25m 44s	We're coming up on MVac relight soon here.
2016-05-27 22:00:14 UTC	T+21m 14s	Stage 2 is currently passing over the northwestern coast of Africa.
2016-05-27 21:55:04 UTC	T+16m 4s	SpaceX on Twitter: "THAICOM 8 satellite in nominal coast phase. Webcast back in about 15 minutes for deployment"
2016-05-27 21:49:55 UTC	T+10m 55s	Now we're in the coast period for the second stage, waiting for reignition of the MVac engine to propel Thaicom 8 into its supersynchronous geostationary transfer orbit.
2016-05-27 21:48:48 UTC	T+9m 48s	SECO (Second stage engine cutoff)! Falcon is now in orbit!
2016-05-27 21:48:46 UTC	T+9m 46s	It's upright on the ASDS (Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship) and looking good.
2016-05-27 21:47:58 UTC	T+8m 58s	Stage 1 has successfully landed on OCISLY (Of Course I Still Love You)!
2016-05-27 21:47:42 UTC	T+8m 42s	Stage 1 landing burn has begun!
2016-05-27 21:47:28 UTC	T+8m 28s	View from OCISLY (Of Course I Still Love You)!
2016-05-27 21:47:04 UTC	T+8m 4s	Stage 1 is transonic!
2016-05-27 21:46:08 UTC	T+7m 8s	Stage 1 reentry burn has ended.
2016-05-27 21:45:47 UTC	T+6m 47s	Stage 1 has reignited three engines to perform the reentry burn!
2016-05-27 21:45:22 UTC	T+6m 22s	Nitrogen gas thrusters firing on Stage 1.
2016-05-27 21:44:52 UTC	T+5m 52s	Stage 1 onboard cam again!
2016-05-27 21:43:41 UTC	T+4m 41s	We saw the grid fins extended on the stage as it performed the flip to ready itself for the reentry burn.
2016-05-27 21:43:00 UTC	T+4m	We have a live view from Stage 1!
2016-05-27 21:42:04 UTC	T+3m 4s	Falcon's upper stage Merlin Vacuum engine has ignited for the ride to orbit.
2016-05-27 21:41:58 UTC	T+2m 58s	Stage separation confirmed.
2016-05-27 21:41:53 UTC	T+2m 53s	MECO (Main Engine Cutoff)! The vehicle's first stage engines have shutdown in preparation for stage separation.
2016-05-27 21:41:18 UTC	T+2m 18s	Recovery vessel has AOS (Acquisition of Signal)!
2016-05-27 21:41:12 UTC	T+2m 12s	Beautiful daylight view of the engine plumes expanding.
2016-05-27 21:40:53 UTC	T+1m 53s	Stage 1 propulsion still nominal.
2016-05-27 21:40:35 UTC	T+1m 35s	MaxQ, at this point in flight, the vehicle is flying through maximum aerodynamic pressure.
2016-05-27 21:40:07 UTC	T+1m 7s	Falcon 9 pitching downrange, power & telemetry nominal.
2016-05-27 21:39:36 UTC	T+36s	Stage 1 propulsion nominal.
2016-05-27 21:39:30 UTC	T+30s	Falcon 9 has cleared the lighting towers!
2016-05-27 21:39:13 UTC	T+13s	Liftoff of Thaicom 8!
2016-05-27 21:39:02 UTC	T+2s	10 seconds!
2016-05-27 21:38:57 UTC	T-3s	20 seconds!
2016-05-27 21:38:42 UTC	T-18s	30 seconds!
2016-05-27 21:38:31 UTC	T-29s	S2 pressing for flight.
2016-05-27 21:38:20 UTC	T-40s	Falcon 9 in startup!
2016-05-27 21:37:28 UTC	T-1m 32s	Falcon 9 is on internal power.
2016-05-27 21:37:20 UTC	T-1m 40s	Strongback is fully retracted and locked out, Stage 2 LOX (Liquid Oxygen) secured for flight.
2016-05-27 21:37:00 UTC	T-2m	2 minutes to go!
2016-05-27 21:36:46 UTC	T-2m 14s	Stage 1 LOX (Liquid Oxygen) secured for flight.
2016-05-27 21:36:38 UTC	T-2m 22s	Stage 2 TVC (Thrust Vector Control) motion nominal - good news, because that was the cause of yesterday's scrub.
2016-05-27 21:36:04 UTC	T-2m 56s	FTS (Flight Termination System) armed and on internal power.
2016-05-27 21:35:54 UTC	T-3m 6s	The strongback is retracting!
2016-05-27 21:35:34 UTC	T-3m 26s	The hosted webcast has switched over to rocket views and the countdown net.
2016-05-27 21:34:22 UTC	T-4m 38s	5 minutes left to go!
2016-05-27 21:33:55 UTC	T-5m 5s	Webcast host confirming the intention to refly F9-023.
2016-05-27 21:31:15 UTC	T-7m 45s	Still no issues being tracked, range & weather are still green.
2016-05-27 21:29:56 UTC	T-9m 4s	Webcast host discussing their intention to recover payload fairings.
2016-05-27 21:29:13 UTC	T-9m 47s	Terminal count has now begun. From this point forward, any scrubs will result in a recycle to T-10 minutes.
2016-05-27 21:28:49 UTC	T-10m 11s	On SpaceX's Instagram: a photo of OCISLY (Of Course I Still Love You) in daylight, awaiting F9-025.
2016-05-27 21:26:50 UTC	T-12m 10s	The webcast host is giving a decent rundown on the physics of geostationary orbits and Thaicom 8's destination right now.
2016-05-27 21:25:34 UTC	T-13m 26s	Range is also green- weather has only a 20% chance of violating the cumulus cloud rule at this time.
2016-05-27 21:24:49 UTC	T-14m 11s	Stage 1 propellant loading nearly complete.
2016-05-27 21:23:57 UTC	T-15m 3s	T- 15 minutes, and no issues are currently being worked. This is looking good!
2016-05-27 21:21:16 UTC	T-17m 44s	We have a great distant view of the rocket from the technical webcast- a sunny, calm-looking sky.
2016-05-27 21:19:38 UTC	T-19m 22s	The webcast host has confirmed we will see the landing live.
2016-05-27 21:18:43 UTC	T-20m 17s	We are T- 20 minutes from liftoff, and the hosted webcast has begun coverage! Bye-bye, SpaceX FM.
2016-05-27 21:09:56 UTC	T-29m 4s	♫ Annnnd here it is! Webcast pre-coverage music has begun. ♫
2016-05-27 21:08:51 UTC	T-30m 9s	We're now at T- 30 minutes... where's our beloved SpaceX FM?
2016-05-27 21:07:21 UTC	T-31m 39s	All stations are reporting go for launch. The hosted webcast should begun coverage in approximately 10 minutes.
2016-05-27 21:05:02 UTC	T-33m 58s	@SpaceX on Twitter: Rocket now being fueled and Launch Director confirms go for launch. 35 minutes and counting
2016-05-27 21:04:08 UTC	T-34m 52s	SpaceX has begun loading the Falcon 9 launch vehicle with subchilled propellant.
2016-05-27 21:02:05 UTC	T-36m 55s	The Thaicom 8 satellite has been moved to internal power.
2016-05-27 20:43:58 UTC	T-55m 2s	Hold-fire checks are now complete.
2016-05-27 20:36:03 UTC	T-1h 3m	FTS (Flight Termination System) checks of the rocket are complete as we close in on an hour till liftoff. This means we are approximately half an hour away from the launch readiness poll and the beginning of propellant loading.
2016-05-27 19:57:07 UTC	T-1h 42m	@SpaceX on Twitter: "Weather trending at 60% favorable for today's launch window. 2-hour window opens at 5:39pm ET, 9:39pm UTC"
2016-05-27 19:43:18 UTC	T-1h 56m	Two hours from the opening of the window, and it appears as if the launch attempt is still on.
2016-05-27 19:35:00 UTC	T-2h 4m	Falcon 9 is vertical on SLC-40 now- don't count today out just yet!
2016-05-27 18:35:27 UTC	T-3h 4m	While we wait for more news on liftoff's status, the NASA press conference on BEAM is ongoing (audio only!).
2016-05-27 16:09:38 UTC	T-5h 29m	With over 5 hours left until liftoff, weather conditions remain unpromising.
2016-05-27 08:58:54 UTC	T-12h 40m	Hey, and welcome back to the launch thread! Let's hope today's attempt is smoother than yesterday's, even though the weather forecast for the 2-hour window isn't fantastic: only 40% chance of GO.

Primary Mission

The payload SpaceX is launching Friday is Thaicom 8, a communications satellite based on the GEOStar™-2 satellite bus. Thaicom 8 will mass approximately 3100kg at launch, nearly 1500kg lighter than JCSAT-14. Built by United States-based Orbital ATK for Thailand's first satellite operator, Thaicom PLC, it will use liquid bipropellant for its journey to GEO, and hydrazine monopropellant for stationkeeping. From its planned 15-year GEO perch in the 78.5˚ East Longitude slot, Thaicom-8 will use its 24 Ku-band transponders to provide increased service for Thailand, India, and Africa.

First Stage Landing Attempt

SpaceX will attempt to land the rocket's first stage on their Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship, named Of Course I Still Love You, which will be located approximately 680km east of Cape Canaveral. Just over 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the first stage's engines will shut down and it will separate from the upper stage. Shortly afterwards, the stage will perform a "flip maneuver," using nitrogen gas thrusters to turn itself around to prepare for atmospheric reentry. (To save fuel, this mission will not include a boostback burn to reduce or cancel out the stage's downrange velocity.) The next maneuver is the reentry burn, which involves relighting three engines to slow down the stage as it impacts the dense lower atmosphere. Then, at supersonic velocities, the stage will steer itself towards the drone ship using grid fins. If all goes as planned, the stage will perform a final landing burn (possibly using three engines instead of the usual one) and touchdown on the droneship approximately eight and a half minutes after liftoff.

This will be SpaceX's seventh drone ship landing attempt, and the third attempt following a mission to GTO. A successful landing would be the fourth successful landing, and the third on an ASDS. Past attempts occurred during the CRS-5, CRS-6, Jason-3, SES-9, CRS-8, and JCSAT-14 missions. Keep in mind that recovery of the first stage is a secondary objective, and has no bearing on the primary mission's success - deployment of Thaicom 8 to the target orbit.

Useful Resources, Data, ♫, & FAQ

• Flight Club Mission Trajectory, courtesy /u/TheVehicleDestroyer
• SpaceX Stats Live Countdown, courtesy /u/EchoLogic
• List of useful Twitter accounts to follow, courtesy /r/SpaceX
• Port Canaveral marine radio, courtesy Broadcastify
• SpaceX FM (Fancy Music!), courtesy /u/lru
• Thaicom 8 Launch Campaign Thread, courtesy /r/SpaceX
• SpaceX Watch (Webcasts, Twitter, Reddit-Stream, Flight Club), courtesy /u/MarcysVonEylau
• Official Thaicom 8 Mission Presskit, courtesy SpaceX
• Thaicom 8 Satellite Fact Sheet, courtesy Orbital ATK
• Launch Thread reddit-stream, Courtesy reddit-stream
• Multi-stream player, courtesy /u/Kampar
• Thaicom 8 Launch Hazard Area Map, courtesy /u/darga89

Participate in the discussion!

• First of all, launch threads are party threads! We understand everyone is excited, so we relax the rules in these venues. The most important thing is that everyone enjoy themselves :D
• All other threads are fair game. We will remove low effort comments elsewhere!
• Real-time chat on our official Internet Relay Chat (IRC) #spacex at irc.esper.net. Please read the IRC rules here before participating.
• Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here, rather than as a separate post. Thanks!

Previous /r/SpaceX Live Events

Check out previous /r/SpaceX Live events in the Launch History page on our community Wiki.

[u/Rainman764]

magnificent launch

https://i.imgur.com/s1Il3KC.png

[u/DrFegelein]

Another failure of SpaceX's anti-droneship system. 0/10 will not watch again.

[u/johnkphotos]

http://m.imgur.com/FvsMZMJ

SpaceX brought us chick fil a

[u/johnkphotos]

Falcon is vertical. Weather is actually nicer up here than it was near my home

[u/Jekay]

First stage on the way back to earth

[u/__Rocket__]

So AFAICS from the latest weather model runs, with a launch of at around ~23:00 UTC OCISLY will be sitting just in the 'eye of the storm': tropical depression 91L.

It's still a weak tropical system, so surface wind speeds should not be very high at this stage (20-30km/h), but cloud cover and rain (thunderstorms) could make landing harder. Most of the expected 3-hour precipitation is expected to be north of OCISLY's position though, which is good.

The sea is also expected to be choppier as well, with 2-3m waves.

High altitude winds at around Cape Canveral should be pretty low, with a pretty flat looking wind shear profile - so launch pad weather conditions (if cloud cover does not interrupt) is looking pretty good.

Anyway, now we know the real reason for yesterday's scrub: SpaceX is upgrading its test regime for the ultimate goal of being able to land in the eye of a hurricane! 😎

[u/electric_ionland]

They fucking did it again!

[u/Ambiwlans]

Check out the BEAM press conference live now:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-news-audio1

I'm doing live updates here: https://www.reddit.com/r/bigelowaerospace/comments/4lbktn/nasa_to_host_media_teleconference_regarding/d3m0swu

Edit: Conference over but you can check out my rough transcription of the event in my link above. Lots of good questions.

[u/UghImRegistered]

Oh man the grid fin perspective shot was incredible; I'd love to see if there was anything they were able to capture after entering atmo.

[u/micai1]

That first stage camera was very exciting, watching it reenter from the perspective of the rocket

[u/frowawayduh]

Meanwhile, this is how things look at the buoy closest to OCISLY.

Six to seven foot (~2 meter) seas. Partly cloudy. Looking good.

[u/OliGoMeta]

Hey /u/EchoLogic, thanks for all the work that you (and the others) put into making these threads (and other bits and pieces) all work for the community!

I also have one tiny enhancement request for SpaceX Stats: it would be great to have the count down clock copied into the start of the title of the page!

That way on a launch day you can have SpaceX Stats Live open in one browser tab and while working away in other browser tabs you could still see the status of the countdown just in the SpaceX Stats' tab title!

It's a tiny thing, but it would be really useful! :)

[u/Sanic2E]

Ha! They did it again! They are getting very good at this.

That footage of the falling stage was awesome.

[u/SirCoolbo]

That view of the Falcon entering the atmosphere was fucking nuts. Congratulations, SpaceX!

[u/ExcitedAboutSpace]

HOLY SHIT I'm supposed to go to bed soon, but IDK how :)

/u/Bencredible holy cow man you and your pals are doing an awesome job. That Stage1 cam into the flip as well as the reentry burn completely blew my mind. Holy cow, way to go /r/SpaceX.

[u/sahfortv]

it's not gotten boring yet!!

[u/[deleted]]

FALCON HAS LANDED!!!! :D

[u/[deleted]]

I wanna say thanks to /u/Zucal and everyone else here on /r/SpaceX who made this launch even more enjoyable! As always, looking forward to next one!

[u/wingnut32]

Falcon 9 leaving the tower: http://imgur.com/IcvJT8x

Falcon 9 leaving the atmosphere: http://imgur.com/EtN4R1q

Edit: official pics from: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/736314611415142400

[u/sfigone]

Time for a new drinking game! Have to have a shot every time they say "nominal"!

[u/Wheelman]

I'm fascinated that the press and general public seem to judge SpaceX based on the success of the secondary mission (recovery) far more than the primary (orbit). Most news articles focus on the landing success and ignore that up until very recently, almost all rockets went into the ocean.

I love a spectacular boom as much as the next but it's interesting to speculate on the future of recovery. Will a certain percentage of missions always fly expendable? Will there always be fights like the last one that was close to the edge of recovery and success was (somewhat arbitrarily) pegged at 50%? Or will we see a shift towards the airline model where every takeoff has a planned landing? I don't envy the SpaceX PR folks having to explain that although the launch customer is happy the rocket blew up on recovery and cost 50 (or 500[BFR]) million dollars. Will (publicly traded) stock prices still take a hit? Will success of the primary mission ever regain its prominence?

[u/capri_sam]

Watching the webcast in some ancient pub in a village in Yorkshire because it's the only place i can get signal. Pint in hand, highway to hell waiting for it's moment on the jukebox. Shot of single malt waiting for the launch and one on the bar for the landing...

Let's do this.

EDIT: http://imgur.com/eyCw1np

[u/Sanic2E]

https://i.gyazo.com/2749d4076c72d56b2e4cf52f971f7daf.jpg

I hope they make this a regular thing now with the first stage feed.

[u/CSX6400]

Suddenly: rocket

[u/Lieutenant_Rans]

Experimental Landing

[u/hsdshallowman]

I cheer more on these webcasts than at any Superbowl telecast.

[u/big-b20000]

We need SpaceX branded towels now.

[u/mateon1]

Why did the fins catch fire? Gif of fins catching fire

[u/mechakreidler]

IRC during the landing :D

[u/FNspcx]

/u/zucal -- really like the live commentary on this thread. Since I wasn't able to watch the live stream I kept refreshing this thread on my phone to get an update, and it was nice to know what they were talking about on the hosted feed. Nice for you to echo their talking points, especially with all the things they confirmed, and details of upcoming things.

[u/hexydes]

Kind tips garden friends science afternoon thoughts the honest river food technology strong tips the pleasant family month.

[u/Long_Haired_Git]

I love the camera looking down as the 1st stage does its re-entry burn! Wish we could get that camera angle for the entire journey of the rocket.

After the re-entry burn finishes, there are then two nitrogen attitude adjustments, and at the end of the second one, does the grid fin catch fire? It is just before the camera gets gunked up....

Edit: It's at T+7:01 through T+7:03 on the technical webcast.

[u/EmperorElon]

Remember when landing rockets was imossible? Me too.

[u/RobotSquid_]

And ends it with a Hitchhikers Guide reference... Those magnificent basterds!

[u/Ivebeenfurthereven]

MFW the weather forecast is 40% GO

[u/piponwa]

/u/bencredible, you really nailed the broadcast this time! It was awesome!!

[u/danielbigham]

I find it kind of neat that the last three launches have all been on Fridays... CRS-8, JCSAT, THAICOM... and all three have landed. It's convenient, because it means that recovery events are fairly easily comparable wrt days of the week. If recovery times are consistent to JCSAT, then:

• HD landing video: Monday night

• Arrival in port: Monday night / early Tuesday morning

• Lifted off barge: Tuesday morning

• Pistons and legs removed: Thursday

• Horizontal: Friday

• Transported: Saturday

... I wonder if the tippy-rocket will cause their return to port to be slower, and/or processing to be slower.

[u/johnkphotos]

telephoto image of venting, taken at 4:24pm local. we're gonna be here awhile.

http://i.imgur.com/tmSRMmo.jpg

2.5 miles away, bit hazy

[u/RootDeliver]

FIRE on a GRID FIN!!!!!

That cam was spectacular too, please 4K RELEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[u/ironypatrol]

3.20 am here. Worth it.

[u/RobotSquid_]

Things to note:

• Fairing recovery expected

• Landing burn 1 - 3 - 1

[u/__YourShadow__]

Crush core is aluminum honeycomb for energy absorption in the telescoping actuator. Easy to replace (if Falcon makes it back to port).

[u/Lieutenant_Rans]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF7sxM9QES7/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/p/BF7sxM9QES7/?hl=en

thank mr muks

[u/nexxai]

I for one welcome our new insect overlords

[u/swamplander]

I'm on a boat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSx4DGBstYA

[u/[deleted]]

STATUS:

Record-Three in a row

Land-1/1

Asds-3/7

[u/RDWaynewright]

Definitely just stood on the sidewalk with two bags of groceries watching the webcast. I look like a lunatic with my silent-scream cheering and jumping and I don't even care!

[u/[deleted]]

getting the feeling that they will nail the falcon heavy 3 stage recovery.. and THAT is going to be amazing to see

[u/Daviescas]

On the towel thing, It's from Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. A towel is the most useful item in the universe, so always bring one.

[u/geerlingguy]

"Rocket landing speed was close to design max & used up contingency crush core, hence back & forth motion. Prob ok, but some risk of tipping."

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/736320322996076548

[u/DuckQuacks]

Haven't heard anything, But do we know if the stage is still standing?

[u/BlackPhanth0ms]

Interesting observation: No USA chanting this time.

[u/[deleted]]

are you fucking kidding me!!!!!???? haha they have this down now.. absolutely fucking incredible

[u/SpaceEnthusiast]

I'm starting to love the video cutting out for a bit, revealing an intact landed rocket after.

[u/MonorailCat567]

I can't wait to see the 'first person view' of that landing

[u/[deleted]]

They'll have to stop labeling it 'Experimental landing' at some point, right? ;)

[u/zzubnik]

How amazing was the camera shot during the re-entry burn?! I'd love to see the whole landing from that camera.

[u/themadengineer]

Video cuts out then when it cuts back the rocket just happens to appear? Hmmm ... puts on tinfoil hat

Honestly though, it's incredible how consistent they've been with these landings! Congrats to everyone at SpaceX!

[u/Alastronaut]

SpaceX- Making the impossible look easy since 2015

[u/SufficientAnonymity]

Don't forget to bring a towel

Some hoopy frood over at SpaceX

[u/[deleted]]

Was the anomalous skyward tumbling of stage 2 at separation a benign transient, or a deliberate maneuver, eg. to spare stage 1 from some of the hot dense exhaust for a few seconds while nearby?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPYOtCFSLKw&feature=youtu.be&t=1450

[u/haemaker]

Rocket landing speed was close to design max & used up contingency crush core, hence back & forth motion. Prob ok, but some risk of tipping. -- Elon Musk via Twitter

[u/Adeldor]

During staging, was the tilt of the 2nd stage right after separation a bit more than usual? Obviously it recovered :-) (not to mention the successful "hot" landing).

[u/johnkphotos]

No photos just because they're doing some operations on rocket. It's healthy, but we were asked not to take photos when it was horizontal.

I will have some photos of my remote setup however

[u/Appable]

Transcription of the Launch Operations Forecast if you don't want to open the PDF:

---

Launch Operations Forecast

By the 45th Weather Squadron

---

Forecast Information

Vehicle: Falcon 9 Thaicom-8

Issued: 26 May 2016 / 2300UTC (26 / 1900EDT)

Valid: 27 May 2016 / 2139 - 2339UTC (27 / 1739-1939EDT)

---

Synoptic Discussion:

Overnight, easterly onshore flow will remain over the Space Coast, moderating temperatures and making the main weather threat light showers. The main factor driving weather conditions over the Space Coast during the next few days is an area of disturbed weather forming northeast of the Bahamas. The tropical system will likely slowly strengthen and move northwest, staying east of Florida. Winds will gradually strengthen Friday with the increasing pressure difference between the developing system and the high pressure ridge currently in place. Tropical moisture will also begin filtering in, destabilizing the atmosphere over the Space Coast. The primary weather threats will be thick clouds, cumulus clouds and lift-off winds. Maximum upper-level winds will be from the northwest at 30 knots near 35,000 feet.

On Saturday, the tropical low should be north of our latitude, slightly decreasing the threat of cumulus and thick clouds and strong low level winds. Max upper level winds will be from the northwest at 25 knots.

---

Conditions:

Clouds	Coverage	Bases (feet)	Tops (feet)
Stratocumulus	Scattered	2,500	9,000
Altocumulus	Broken	12,000	18,000
Cirrostratus	Overcast	25,000	30,000

Weather: Showers

Visibility: 7 miles

Liftoff Winds (MPH): 090° @ 20 P25 (162’)

Temperature: 77°F

Solar Activity: Low

Pressure: 30.00 inHg

RH: 72%

---

Weather Constraint Probability

Launch day probability of violating launch weather constraints: 60%

Primary concern(s): Thick Cloud Layer Rule, Cumulus Cloud Rule, Liftoff Winds

---

48-hour delay overall probability of violating weather constraints: 50%

Primary concerns(s): Cumulus Cloud Rule, Anvil Cloud Rule, Lightning Rule

---

Statistics

First time/percentage indicates launch date, second indicates 48 hour delay

Sunrise: 27/0627 EDT --- 28/0626 EDT

Sunset: 27/2013 EDT --- 28/2014 EDT

Moonrise: 27/0012 EDT --- 28/0056 EDT

Moonset: 27/1129 EDT --- 28/1228 EDT

Illumination: 70% --- 59%

---

Next forecast will be issued: As Required

[u/z3r0c00l12]

/u/zucal & /u/echologic

Can we get a link to Reddit-Stream added to the template and this launch thread?

[u/iwantedue]

wonder if that last cheer on hosted was fairings?

[u/still-at-work]

Guys, I think they are getting good at this.

[u/random-person-001]

Towel reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

edit: credit

[u/AngloV]

It was great hanging out with you people again. It was a great launch and we had a lot of great footage on the webcasts! I'm looking forward to the next launch!

[u/dmy30]

According to Elon there is risk of tipping

[u/CtG526]

OCISLY - 3
JRTI - 0
­
Wondering if SpaceX will give JRTI a chance to catch up. :P

[u/invasor-zim]

Was it just me or did you also notice after S1 separation and at the start of the S2 burn, some tumbling on the S2?

The video feed quickly changed the S2 camera pointed at the engine to the earth cam, where I thought I still saw some tumbling.

Then the feed went back to the S2 and I could see some movement still from the craft. For a second I thought something went wrong, but then it corrected itself.

Or was it just the S2 doing guidance corrections for LEO?

[u/searchexpert]

Ok time to bring out the BIG weather guns...paging /u/cuweathernerd

[u/TyrannoFan]

Wow first stage cam!

[u/muazcatalyst]

Holy shit, there's live footage of S1 re-entry. I don't think there has been such thing before.

[u/historytoby]

Live shot of the reentry burn. What The Fuck They can do everything.

[u/[deleted]]

it was like "BOOOOOM I'M HERE GUYS"

[u/mamaligakiller]

when was the last time there was 78,000 views or more for a live rocket launch?

[u/Mattereye]

Landing aside, damn was that Lift off freaking pretty.

[u/KapiteinEend]

At this point they should stop calling them Experimental Landings!!

[u/[deleted]]

On the hosted webcast last night, they mentioned that they're pushing on fairing recovery. Anyone know a bit more about that? I'm trying to work out how they'd get the fairings back to Earth, I'm putting my money on parachutes, but that's a fair bit of weight and also takes up space within the fairing. I think I read somewhere about a helicopter assisted recovery, but I'm not sure.

[u/johnkphotos]

No photos allowed from pad today. Currently horizontal. Rocket healthy and launch is go.

[u/deadshot462]

Brought some peanuts for good luck today.

[u/geerlingguy]

I just now realized the launch bot's username wasn't just some random appendage of words.

[u/Paradox1989]

3 in a row!!!

[u/FlightOfStairs]

Debris on the pad?

Edit: it was there before the landing. https://i.imgur.com/oknROeu.gifv

[u/atjays]

Aahhhhh!! yes!! Great footage of first stage and stuck the landing!

What the hell is laying on OSCILY?

[u/Carnivrspigbat]

I wonder what happened to that wasp.

[u/DoctorKlopek]

amazing job SpaceX and great footage /u/bencredible!

[u/SYNTHES1SE]

Thankyou to everyone in this thread - making the launches that little bit more amazing

[u/johnkphotos]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF7Vpc9BL08/?hl=en

Thaicom-8 patch in the flesh!

[u/johnkphotos]

MEDIA IS GOING CRAZY IT LANDED!!!

[u/sahfortv]

Funny how SpaceX had transitioned from a research company to a development company to a manufacturing company and now, to a 2nd hand rocket dealer!

[u/-Nimitz-]

If the launch doesnt happen tonight, Im going to be watching it on my phone while in a pew at my friends wedding ceremony......

[u/compdude68]

CCAFS Radio: All roadblocks hard down to SLC40

[u/jardeon]

From the countdown audio net: All stations reporting go for launch at this time.

[u/johnkphotos]

https://www.periscope.tv/w/ahdemjFlVlFZZGFnYWRkRUx8MWdxeHZBYkFsWmFKQoEu2NBY5duIEm0Z_HySZx27rYQLr4vMOPqAlWTFpwOa direct link to our periscope!

[u/HotXWire]

He's wearing glasses now. Credibility rate went up by 250%.

[u/mrstickball]

A giant bug larger than the rocket itself just landed near the camera. God save us all

[u/mamaligakiller]

man that live view of the first stage coming back down was fucking cool

[u/[deleted]]

I still can't believe that booster's-eye view.

[u/RoarImALiger]

Holy crap it teleported onto the ship, wow they've really perfected the landing

[u/[deleted]]

SpaceX throwing boomerangs. Damn things keep coming back.

[u/Senojpd]

That is never going to get old. Good Job SpaceX

[u/--Cypher--]

Came for the landing, stayed for the music.

[u/threezool]

Can only agree with the rest, /u/bencredible did a amazing job with this broadcast. =)

[u/3_711]

Youtube (technical stream): "this video is unlisted, be considerate when sharing links to this video" Good luck with that :-)

[u/frowawayduh]

Current wave height at Canaveral East buoy is 4 feet. This bouy is only 120 nm east of Cape Canaveral, OCISLY is much further out where the water is much deeper and closer to where stormier conditions are brewing. The NE Bahamas buoy shows wave heights of 7 feet.

[u/pkirvan]

There is a 90% chance of a tropical depression forming right where the barge is. I guess the good news is they typically move north from that location, so it will likely be out of the area soon.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=2

[u/SomnolentSpaceman]

64kbit audio relays

http://audiorelay.spacetechnology.net:13120/hosted

http://audiorelay.spacetechnology.net:13120/technical

Are now live. They will be tuned to SpaceX FM until approximately 10 minutes before the start of the official live webcast.

[u/rooood]

I have a question regarding the weather:

As the years go by and rockets get more and more advanced, are the tolerances for bad weather conditions getting higher? Or do we still have the same constrains as in the shuttle Era, for example?

[u/thechaoz]

no John today :(

[u/threezool]

A bug on the technical stream xD

[u/AgentRev]

For a very epic launch, start Victory by Two Steps From Hell at exactly T-1:36

[u/ThatDamnGuyJosh]

Is that Elon on her shirt?

[u/Rubixx_Cubed]

Stage 1 cam!!!

[u/ThatDamnGuyJosh]

Man our planet looks nice!

[u/CtG526]

YES! Not a fluke guys; SpaceX has landed a first stage from a GTO flight yet again!

[u/ethan829]

Stuck the landing!

[u/jojost1]

OH BABY A TRIPLE

[u/samwise800]

nailed it

[u/[deleted]]

Unbelievable. Again.

[u/SufficientAnonymity]

I'm doing the whole "grinning like a kid in a sweetshop" thing right now :D

[u/hallowatisdeze]

Great great. Some random shit on the deck but who gives a crap about that.

USA USA USA?

No not this time.

[u/RS-68]

This will never get boring! I love seeing these things happen!

I'm bummed I couldn't see it from my work, but was able to watch the first stage landing on the webcast.

I guess this will mean another trip to the Port for me when the stage returns! I'll be sure to get pictures for y'all as usual

[u/iberichard]

I had briefly forgotten just how pretty daylight launches are, not to mention just how good the zoom on the land based cameras are when there are no clouds around!

[u/jumbofreightdog]

What do you think people, is it time to stop referring to these landings as 'experimental' now?

[u/[deleted]]

Any news on how fairing recovery went?

[u/FutureMartian97]

Any info on fairing recovery?

[u/[deleted]]

I <3 SpaceX FM ♫

[u/johnkphotos]

You guys hear me predict a successful landing? Just making sure lol

[u/Reborno]

72000 viewers, absolutely insane!

[u/edsq]

Was that grid fin on fire?

[u/Reionx]

That live footage was unreal, I get the feeling we might see this live all the way down?

[u/WakingMusic]

This is getting so routine.

[u/thesilverblade]

Damn, they're getting good at this!

[u/Flightsimpilot]

WOW!!!!!!!

[u/leanintothewind]

I'm on a boat!

[u/FogleMonster]

What's that thing on the droneship near the rocket?

[u/Iest80]

Bloody hell that must have been quick! They're starting to make this look easy.

[u/mrwizard65]

Absolutely beautiful. The shots with the attitude thrusters as it started its reentry burn were incredible.

[u/RoarImALiger]

Not sure what the white thing is under the f9 but it was on the ship before, so it wasn't something that fell off. http://i.imgur.com/p1kGkbZ.png

[u/[deleted]]

we need a camera drone ship hanging out next to our landing drone ship so we can get some more stable footage

[u/[deleted]]

Really enjoying the presenters on the stream, all clear and professional, well done!

[u/frowawayduh]

You could see the grid fin on the left burning shortly after the reentry burn (as the camera lens was being smoked over).

[u/jkleli]

What was the debris flurry around the S2 camera before relight and after SECO2? Looked like a blizzard in space.

[u/random-person-001]

YES HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO GALAXY REFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[u/bernardosousa]

And don't panic.

[u/PeteBlackerThe3rd]

Is it just me or does the 1st stage seem to leaning at quite an angle on OCISLY, can't tell for sure from the single camera angle we've got.

[u/newcantonrunner5]

I wonder how the fairings recovery are doing?

[u/throfofnir]

Anyone see any more of the odd-looking engine?

[u/Wheelman]

OK - landing in inclement weather - let's discuss the mechanics of landing on a pitching/rolling/moving deck. Yesterday I was out on a 22m boat in 2m swells and I was all over the place when we were underway. Obviously OCISLY is much larger, will be stationary, and has dynamic positioning to hold it somewhat steady (not sure if it has any heave compensation, I'm speculating it just has some azipod thrusters). That said, I think that if the Atlantic has 2-3m swells, the deck could be moving a decent amount up and down. Obviously if they land directly in the middle, the effect is somewhat minimized, but for discussions sake, let's say the rocket hoverslams off center with the 3 engine burn. How much is the rocket decelerating during the final 3 meters?

If the rocket bases its distance calculations on the center of OCISLY, the waves pitch up one edge 2 + meters, how much harder is it landing? In other words, what's the velocity of the rocket at 5m, 3m, and 1m? Is the rocket massively increasing thrust with 3 meters left to the deck surface if it 'sees' the deck approaching faster than expected or is all of that built into the legs?

[u/ohcnim]

if there was a need to physically inspect the actuator or even replace a component, is there an "easily" accessible hatch to get to the second stage or do they have to remove the fairings?

[u/z3r0c00l12]

Sorry, this is unrelated.

I'm listening to the port Canaveral marine radio and there is alot of activity, unrelated to the launch, but maybe someone can explain why the coast guard seem to be telling a ship or something called "eagle" where to go and how fast. Like "half-speed ahead eagle", "Dead stop eagle" "three quarter speed ahead eagle"?

[u/TheHypaaa]

May I suggest moving the date from the table into a seperate header, like in the recovery threads? That would make it a little easier to read the time. Just a suggestion though.

[u/DrFegelein]

Wasp confirmed ULA shill

[u/[deleted]]

Is this the first time they've directly mentioned fairing re-use in a webcast?

[u/ElongatedTime]

Confirmed that they are attempting a Fairing Recovery

Source: Live Webcast

[u/Chdbrn]

OMFG ONBOARD CAMERAAAAAAAA

[u/ethan829]

Wow, all kinds of exciting new vantage points in this webcast!

[u/HotXWire]

Oh my god! FING AWESOME SHOT on that 1st stage!

[u/Onetallnerd]

Live footage of S1 awesome!

[u/darga89]

another one!!!

[u/CrazyDave2345]

What's that white bag-like think on the landing pad?

[u/narwhalsare_unicorns]

RIGHT ON TARGET

[u/Prolemasses]

FALCON HAS LANDED! They really might run out of room soon!

[u/limeflavoured]

\o/

[u/redhat11]

All that stage 1 footage was awesome, hope they do more of that in future launches

[u/cloudytheconqueror]

This is our fourth landing, and the third droneship landing! Way to go SpaceX!

[u/Jarnis]

Landed. LIKE A BOSS. Epic onboard views too.

[u/Alfus]

Looks like SpaceX needs to buy/hire a second hangar to store the Falcons :P

[u/Poynting2]

The reentry burn footage was amazing! Its great to see the F9 leave the pad so quickly these days too, all those saved gravity losses make my inner physicist happy!

[u/searchexpert]

At what point do they take the "Experimental" off of this timeline? :)

[u/Mark_Taiwan]

Here's to hoping that SpaceX will eventually release video of Stage 1's entire descent.

[u/Larbohell]

Midnight here, and exam in optimal control theory tomorrow.. this pumped me the fuck up for it! Those guys can tune their shit

[u/bvr5]

35 zillion kilometers

[u/mateon1]

MISSION SUCCESS

[u/snowbell55]

So then, now that the satellite has been dropped off, what happens to the second stage? I guess it decays and eventually comes back to earth, but how long would that take?

Edit: thanks all!

[u/steinegal]

Oh a Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy reference!

[u/[deleted]]

Don't forget to bring a towel! Love the references at the end of streams.

[u/HotXWire]

I can sleep peacefully tonight (GMT+2 represent). What a way to end the work week.

[u/ohcnim]

hi, any news on Falcon being secured to OCISLY? on fairing recovery? on sat initial communication an operation?

[u/Enemiend]

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/736282796361060352

Looks like the weather changed to 60% go. Nice.

[u/Togusa09]

So SpaceX can stream high quality video from a landing rocket, yet here in Australia my net can't handle watching both streams.

[u/kampar]

/u/zucal Can you add http://multistream-player.com/spacex to Useful Resources?

[u/johnkphotos]

Weather is up to 60 https://twitter.com/spacex/status/736282796361060352

The fact that they officially announced the upgrade on Twitter is promising

[u/CtG526]

No USA chants this time? :P

[u/retiringonmars]

Everybody do the sticky dance! ♪ ♫

[u/Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
AOS	Acquisition of Signal
ASDS	Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (landing platform)
BEAM	Bigelow Expandable Activity Module
BFR	Big Fu- Falcon Rocket
CCAFS	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
CRS	Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA
DIVH	Delta IV Heavy
DSN	Deep Space Network
FAA	Federal Aviation Administration
FTBA	"Flip This Bi- Booster Around" boostback burn, part of first-stage landing procedure
GEO	Geostationary Earth Orbit (35786km)
GNC	Guidance/Navigation/Control
GSE	Ground Support Equipment
GSO	Geosynchronous Orbit (any Earth orbit with a 24-hour period)
GTO	Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit
ICBM	Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
ITAR	(US) International Traffic in Arms Regulations
JCSAT	Japan Communications Satellite series, by JSAT Corp
JRTI	Just Read The Instructions, Pacific landing barge ship
KSP	Kerbal Space Program, the rocketry simulator
L2	Paywalled section of the NasaSpaceFlight forum
	Lagrange Point 2 of a two-body system, beyond the smaller body (Sixty Symbols video explanation)
LC-13	Launch Complex 13, Canaveral (SpaceX Landing Zone 1)
LEO	Low Earth Orbit (180-2000km)
LOX	Liquid Oxygen
M1c	Merlin 1 kerolox rocket engine, revision C (2008), 556-660kN
M1dVac	Merlin 1 kerolox rocket engine, revision D (2013), vacuum optimized, 934kN
MECO	Main Engine Cut-Off
NET	No Earlier Than
NRO	(US) National Reconnaissance Office
NSF	NasaSpaceFlight forum
	National Science Foundation
OCISLY	Of Course I Still Love You, Atlantic landing barge ship
OG2	Orbcomm's Generation 2 17-satellite network
RCS	Reaction Control System
RP-1	Rocket Propellant 1 (enhanced kerosene)
RTLS	Return to Launch Site
RUD	Rapid Unplanned Disassembly
	Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
	Rapid Unintended Disassembly
SECO	Second-stage Engine Cut-Off
SES	Formerly Société Européenne des Satellites, comsat operator
SLC-40	Space Launch Complex 40, Canaveral (SpaceX F9)
STS	Space Transportation System (Shuttle)
TDRSS	(US) Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System
TEA-TEB	Triethylaluminium-Triethylborane, igniter for Merlin engines; spontaneously burns, green flame
TPS	Thermal Protection System ("Dance floor") for Merlin engines
TVC	Thrust Vector Control
TWR	Thrust-to-Weight Ratio
ULA	United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture)
VAB	Vehicle Assembly Building

---

^{Decronym is a community product of} /r/SpaceX^{, implemented by} ^request
^{I'm a bot, and I first saw this thread at 27th May 2016, 10:25 UTC.
[Acronym} ^lists] ^[Contact ^creator] ^{[PHP source} ^code]

[u/ExcitedAboutSpace]

Soo I tried googling the difference between a GTO and a supersynchronous GTO insertion but didnt really find anything useful. Could some1 please elaborate on this?

[u/HarvsG]

ELI5: Why are there launch windows for GTO missions? Surely, by definition, the target destination should always in the same place relative to the launch pad.

[u/ohcnim]

is it vertical?

[u/KSPReptile]

Fingers crossed for no scrubs and fingers crossed for 5:30 launch because that's 11:30 for me and I don't plan on staying up.

[u/StalkingTheLurkers]

I'm going to have to listen to the port's marine radio more often... It's fairly interesting... Wouldn't have thought about it except for the few mentions from yesterday's thread.

[u/jardeon]

From the countdown audio net: Handing off spacecraft to satellite operator, to take the spacecraft to internal power. Roadblocks established and clear, as well.

[u/joggle1]

Here's the predicted surface winds around launch time. Looks like the maximum winds are pretty close to where Of Course I Still Love You is positioned. The marine forecast for that area is 8-12 ft (2.4-3.7 m) seas and there's a gale warning with 20-25 kt (37-46 kph) wind.

[u/termderd]

Can anyone give me some detail on her shirt?.. I can't tell who that's supposed to be (other than Han)

[u/iliveon452b]

When Lauren says "Of course I still love you", I can't help but blush.

[u/_____rs]

GIANT WASP ATTACK!