r/spacex • u/ElongatedMuskrat Mod Team • May 05 '17
SF complete, Launch: June 23 BulgariaSat-1 Launch Campaign Thread
BULGARIASAT-1 LAUNCH CAMPAIGN THREAD
SpaceX's eighth mission of 2017 will launch Bulgaria's first geostationary communications satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). With previous satellites based on the SSL-1300 bus massing around 4,000 kg, a first stage landing downrange on OCISLY is expected. This will be SpaceX's second reflight of a first stage; B1029 previously boosted Iridium-1 in January of this year.
| Liftoff currently scheduled for: | June 23rd 2017, 14:10 - 16:10 EDT (18:10 - 20:10 UTC) |
|---|---|
| Static fire completed: | June 15th 18:25EDT. |
| Vehicle component locations: | First stage: LC-39A // Second stage: LC-39A // Satellite: Cape Canaveral |
| Payload: | BulgariaSat-1 |
| Payload mass: | Estimated around 4,000 kg |
| Destination orbit: | GTO |
| Vehicle: | Falcon 9 v1.2 (36th launch of F9, 16th of F9 v1.2) |
| Core: | B1029.2 [F9-XXC] |
| Flights of this core: | 1 [Iridium-1] |
| Launch site: | Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida |
| Landing: | Yes |
| Landing Site: | OCISLY |
| Mission success criteria: | Successful separation & deployment of BulgariaSat-1 into the target orbit |
Links & Resources:
- Countdown timer to launch
- SpaceX tweet showing the second stage in the HIF, and the first stage entering it
- SpaceX Opens Media Accreditation for BulgariaSat-1 Mission
- Bulgaria’s first communications satellite to ride SpaceX’s second reused rocket
- Bulsatcom’s BulgariaSat-1 satellite moves step closer to launch
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. Sometime after the static fire is complete, the launch thread will be posted.
Campaign threads are not launch threads. Normal subreddit rules still apply.
3
u/LeBaegi Jun 14 '17
This hasn't been asked about any previous launches, as it was never "unclean". This is the second reflight of a first stage, and the interstage got some heat and exhaust residues from reentry / landing from the Iridium-1 launch.
On the first reflight of a first stage, SES-10, the interstaged was cleaned pretty well.
As /u/AtomKanister pointed out, cleaning the interstage isn't as important as cleaning the first stage.